Missouri joins a group of five states that may have new congressional maps before the 2026 elections. A new Missouri congressional map awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe’s (R) signature after it received final legislative approval on Sept. 12. 

Texas approved redrawn congressional districts in August. California voters will decide in a Nov. 4, 2025, special election whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would allow the Legislature’s proposed redraw of the state’s congressional districts to take effect through at least 2030.

Ohio is legally required to conduct redistricting. Because the map that was finalized in 2022 did not have minority party support in the Legislature or the redistricting commission, it was effective for only four years. A Utah district court struck down the state’s congressional map on Aug. 25, 2025, and the state must draw a new map by Nov. 10 this year.

Additional redistricting plans could develop in Florida, Indiana, and Maryland. Litigation is pending against maps in Georgia and Louisiana. Lawmakers in New York are considering a constitutional amendment that would permit redrawing the congressional map, though the process would not complete until the 2028 elections.

Here’s what the overall balance of congressional districts nationally might look like given the five states pursuing redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections so far.

How many districts could change?

The numbers reported through media coverage of each state suggest Republicans may lead overall.

The Missouri and Texas plans could net Republicans six districts—one from Missouri’s pending redraw of the Democratic Kansas City district into surrounding rural districts and five from the approved Texas map. 

However, Ohio and Utah are both required to redistrict ahead of the 2026 elections.

Ohio is legally required to redraw its congressional map before 2026, and the new map could create two new Republican districts. The Columbus Dispatch’s Jessie Balmert wrote, “Republicans are likely to target two competitive congressional districts held by Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur, of Toledo, and Emilia Sykes, of Akron. They could try to rearrange the 1st congressional district in Cincinnati, currently held by Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman. That would be more of a stretch because the city of Cincinnati must be kept whole under anti-gerrymandering rules approved by voters in 2018.”

In Utah, a new Democratic district is possible following a state district court ruling that struck down the state’s congressional map on Aug. 25, 2025. The court ruled that the Utah State Legislature violated voters’ right to reform their government when it overrode voters’ chosen redistricting rules. Utah’s new map may contain a Democratic Salt Lake City district, resembling the redistricting commission’s proposals after the 2020 census.

Five new Democratic districts are also possible in California if voters approve a constitutional amendment allowing redistricting and implement the Legislature’s proposed map in a special election this November. That would mean Republicans could net just two districts nationwide.

If all five states redistrict as described above and Republicans gain control of both additional districts in the 2026 elections, Democrats could control 49% of U.S. House seats to Republicans’ 51%.