As battles over congressional district maps rage on, the Sunshine State is officially preparing to join the fray. In an interview with The Floridian, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) announced that the state is “going to redistrict,” anticipating a special legislative session in the first half of 2026 to draw new congressional maps. Florida House Speaker Danny Perez (R) has already assembled a select committee, comprised of eight Republicans and three Democrats, to prepare new congressional district maps.

DeSantis also noted that a pair of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court centered on the Voting Rights Act (VRA) will likely play a role in Florida’s redistricting. “The issue is that there is a Supreme Court decision that we are waiting on — the argument in October about Section 2 of the VRA that impacts Florida’s maps,” he said, adding that the Florida legislature will have to wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling before making changes to congressional maps “next Spring.”

Section 2 of the VRA stipulates, “No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision in a manner which results in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color…” The provision has proven controversial over the years, as various organizations have accused state legislatures of racial gerrymandering either by breaking up areas with heavy minority populations into different congressional districts or, conversely, not grouping areas with lighter minority populations together. The two cases out of Louisiana, Louisiana v. Phillip Callais and Press Robinson v. Phillip Callais, deal with the issue.

A 2022 congressional map approved by the Bayou State’s legislature left only one majority-black congressional district out of the state’s six districts, despite roughly a third of the state’s population being black. In response to a VRA lawsuit and a federal court’s preliminary injunction, the Louisiana legislature drew new maps, creating two majority-black districts. However, another lawsuit then accused the legislature of racial gerrymandering — this time drawing congressional maps explicitly based upon race.

In comments to The Washington Stand, FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter explained, “Governor DeSantis has been clear for a while now that Florida will redraw their maps. Most of the reports I’ve seen suggest Republicans are looking at targeting three to five Democratic seats.” He continued, “The plan, at the moment, appears to be to use a special session in the spring to redraw districts, which would allow for a decision from the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act to potentially be decided, paving the way for new opportunities for the Republican-led government of Florida to draw new maps.”

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump urged red states to redraw congressional district maps in order to net the GOP more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms, prompting a series of political and legal conflicts across the country. Different rules dominate in different states, with some state legislatures being allowed to easily redraw congressional district maps and others requiring constitutional amendments to bypass a bipartisan redistricting committee. Texas was the first state to respond to the president’s petition, drawing new maps that would hand five House seats currently held by Democrats to Republicans. However, Section 2 of the VRA was once again brought into play, with Democrats accusing the Lone Star State GOP of racial gerrymandering, and Republicans defending the new maps as purely political. That case has also been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Justice Samuel Alito granted an administrative stay, effectively allowing the new district maps to remain in effect during litigation.

Indiana’s Republican-controlled legislature has also drawn new congressional district maps, potentially giving Republicans two more seats in the U.S. House. Hoosier State House representatives recently released a draft map, according to Politico, breaking Indianapolis into four districts and fracturing Democrat control over the urban area. Despite pressure from both the president and Indiana Governor Mike Braun (R), Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) has voiced opposition to redistricting, instead arguing that Republicans should campaign harder in Democrat-held districts. Indiana’s House is slated to vote on the new maps this week, while the state Senate could vote on the House-approved maps as early as next week.