Texas Governor Abbott plans to promptly sign off on the redistricting maps once they are endorsed by the lawmakers.

Redistricting, the process of redrawing electoral districts, typically occurs once a decade, following a census. This decade, the practice has sparked intense partisan debates, with states like California and Texas at the forefront of the controversy.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has promised to sign off on a new congressional voting map designed to help the GOP maintain its slim majority in Congress. The new map includes five new districts that would favor Republicans, a move that has not gone unchallenged. Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the dean of the Texas congressional delegation, has announced that he will not seek reelection to his Austin-based seat if the new map takes effect, as the proposed map would overlap with that of another Democratic incumbent, Rep. Greg Casar.

Democrats in Texas have vowed to challenge the new map in court, alleging that it violates the Voting Rights Act by diluting voters' influence based on race. However, Republican Sen. Phil King, the measure's sponsor in Texas, has rejected these allegations, stating that his goal was to create legal maps that would be better for Republican congressional candidates in Texas.

Meanwhile, in California, the Democratic Party is responsible for the redistricting of the congressional election districts. Governor Gavin Newsom, leading the process, has approved a special election in November for voters to decide whether to adopt a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more House seats. The bill's name, "One Big Beautiful Map", is a nod to President Trump's signature tax and spending bill.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that the Constitution does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering to increase a party's clout, only gerrymandering that's explicitly done by race. This ruling has emboldened both parties to redraw districts in their favour.

Elsewhere, Ohio Republicans were already scheduled to revise their maps to make them more partisan. Trump has urged other Republican-controlled states, including Indiana and Missouri, to revise their maps to add more winnable GOP seats. However, New York cannot draw new maps until 2028, and even then only with voter approval.

The escalating redistricting battles have raised concerns about the potential for a redistricting war. California Assemblyman James Gallagher, the Republican minority leader, has expressed concern over this potential, warning that "You move forward fighting fire with fire, and what happens? You burn it all down."

The partisan makeup of existing districts puts Democrats within three seats of a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. The stakes are high, and the redistricting battles are expected to continue well into the future.

This report includes contributions from AP writers in Austin, Washington, Seattle, and Providence, R.I.

Texas Governor Abbott plans to promptly sign off on the redistricting maps once they are endorsed by the lawmakers.