Redistricting Apocalypse: State by State Fallout & What We Can Do Next - Democracy in the States Roundup
It’s Friday, May 15, 2026, and time for your Democracy in the States: Weekly Roundup.
Just two and a half weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court dramatically weakened the Voting Rights Act in Callais v. Louisiana—and then, as if to put a finer point on things, the Court kicked off the week by vacating the decision that had shielded Alabama’s majority-Black district. If you feel like the word “apocalypse” is cropping up more than usual lately, you’re not alone. Redistricting fights and their fallout seem to be everywhere, with Republican-controlled legislatures across the South moving at breakneck speed to eliminate majority-Black districts before November.
It’s not just the pace of change, but its depth. Our founder, Danielle Allen, published a piece this week arguing that the crisis goes even deeper than Callais. By her estimate, about one in four Americans is already structurally disenfranchised by decades of gerrymandering and closed primary systems, and the current wave of redistricting is accelerating the problem. Her piece is well worth reading alongside this week’s roundup because, in typical Renovator fashion, she doesn’t stop at the diagnosis. Instead, her piece “Are We Ready for a New Voting Rights Movement?” outlines specific pathways to re-enfranchise Americans who’ve lost a meaningful vote.
Redistricting
The gerrymander blitz entered a new phase this week, with federal and state courts handing Republicans a string of wins while statehouses from Louisiana to South Carolina pushed forward with maps designed to eliminate majority-Black congressional seats before November.
In the Courts
ALABAMA: US Supreme Court overturns 2023 Alabama map ruling, clearing the way for redistricting. Citizen protests over the decision are underway.
MISSOURI: Missouri Supreme Court upholds gerrymandered congressional map for August primary.
VIRGINIA: Virginia Democrats seek emergency injunction from US Supreme Court in redistricting fight. Meanwhile, the governor says they will use the old congressional map for midterms.
At the Legislature
LOUISIANA: State Senate passes GOP gerrymander, erasing majority-Black district.
LOUISIANA: ‘Recognize the danger’: New Orleans leaders urge activism with redistricting writing on the wall.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Senators reject White House push to redraw SC’s voting lines. But the Governor forces lawmakers back for a special redistricting session anyway.
GEORGIA: Georgia governor calls for Republicans to gerrymander maps ahead of 2028 elections.
WASHINGTON: Federal judge asked to ditch WA legislative district maps.
Spotlight on Tennessee
Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature used a special session last week to crack Memphis into three congressional districts, eliminating the state’s only majority-Black and majority-Democratic seat. This week brought two consequences: a flood of lawsuits and a wave of political retaliation against the Democrats who resisted.
TENNESSEE: Democratic candidates, voters file federal challenge to Tennessee’s redistricting.
TENNESSEE: ACLU sues to block redrawn Tennessee congressional map that breaks up Memphis.
TENNESSEE: Voting rights groups accuse Tennessee GOP of racially targeting Black voters in latest gerrymander lawsuit.
TENNESSEE: Federal judge sets May 20 hearing in Tennessee redistricting lawsuit.
TENNESSEE: Tennessee House speaker suspends all Dems from committees, citing decorum violation.
Election Administration and Voting Rights
The redistricting fights are the loudest story this week, but the infrastructure of American elections is under pressure on several quieter fronts, including a federal agent who knocked on an election director’s door at home in Milwaukee.
WISCONSIN: Report: FBI investigating 2020 Wisconsin election.
NATIONAL: Report: Trump White House helping build national voter list.
NATIONAL: Cleta Mitchell’s election denial network releases new blueprint to severely restrict voting.
MONTANA: Montana district court blocks law restricting voter registration hours, allows voter ID law.
GEORGIA: Georgia counties to sue over new election law targeting Democratic areas.
ARIZONA: Maricopa County’s election IT fight isn’t about IT. It’s about democracy.
MISSOURI: Boone County clerk refuses to update voter rolls amid uncertainty over Missouri map.
ALABAMA: Gov. Kay Ivey sets special elections for four congressional districts.
SOUTH DAKOTA: New laws result in 1,500 federal-only voter registrations ahead of South Dakota primary election.
Primary Season
West Virginia and Nebraska held primaries Tuesday, with results that ranged from a governor’s mixed attempt at political purge to a secretary of state upset that alarmed election watchers. Georgia, Kentucky, Oregon, and Idaho head into their own contests in the coming days.
WEST VIRGINIA: Capito secures GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in WV, will face Fetty Anderson in November general.
WEST VIRGINIA: Speaker Hanshaw vows ‘we will remember’ after Morrisey targets House members in elections.
NEBRASKA: Scott Petersen wins GOP primary race for Nebraska secretary of state against incumbent Bob Evnen.
NEBRASKA: Denise Powell wins Dem nomination in Nebraska’s 2nd District.
LOUISIANA: Angry voters and closed primaries: A preview of Election Day on May 16.
KENTUCKY: Will Massie’s ‘army of fanatics’ be enough to fight off Trump’s challenger in 4th District?
SOUTH CAROLINA: SC House panel approves 2-month delay in congressional primary amid redistricting push.
Are We Ready for a New Voting Rights Movement?
The recent Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais has prompted renewed debate about voting rights. The crisis is even worse than people realize — and it doesn’t stem just from Callais.
Don’t you think “we did enough” already, giving up the moral high ground the totally flubbing it with a Virginia initiative that should have been obviously incompatible with the rules? Maybe we should really show the country we have no scruples by running in court packing.