By Veronica Riffle (AWC Berlin)
Your vote is your voice to express your opinion about the best candidates and ballot measures to serve your state and the USA as a whole. Keep on top of any changes that might be happening that could damage your voting rights. Efforts to draw new maps of voting districts for partisan advantage (gerrymandering), purge state voter rolls and restrict access to voting sites and/or mail-in ballots are underway in various states across the USA. Voters must therefore stay vigilant to ensure that they remain registered to vote and cast a valid ballot in the 2026 elections in the USA.
What is the problem? Unfair representation through gerrymandering
The US Constitution (Article 1 Section 4) grants to states alone the power to prepare and conduct elections. The federal government does not have any power over the election process in each state. States are responsible for dividing their territory into representative districts to ensure appropriate representation, based on population, in the House of Representatives. They normally do this every 10 years, after a new census is conducted and the number of districts allotted to each state is decided (that number changes as state populations change).
In 1812, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry drew a salamander-shaped district to aid his party. Such manipulation of electoral district boundaries for partisan or racial advantage is now called gerrymandering. Gerrymandering affects the representation in the House of Representatives because it skews the proportion of voters through a political lens to benefit a particular political party. The tactic aims to dilute opponents’ voting power by “packing” them into few districts or “cracking” them across many. And gerrymandering has been a contentious part of US politics since its invention, becoming more sophisticated over time.
In 1965, the Voting Rights Act finally guaranteed to all citizens the right to vote. The two pillars of the Act were Sections 2 and 5. It protected the voting strength of minorities and their candidates of choice. In 2013, in the case of Shelby v. Holder, the Supreme Court decision essentially removed the power from Section 5 of the Act, which had required covered jurisdictions to submit any proposed changes in voting procedures to the US Department of Justice or a federal district court in Washington, DC—before it went into effect—to ensure it did not harm minority voters. This process, called “preclearance,” had blocked discrimination before it occurred. Section 5 applied to all or part of 16 states. In Shelby v. Holder, the Supreme Court removed the opportunity to prevent discrimination.
On April 29, 2026, by a vote of 6–3, the Supreme Court invalidated a map adopted by the Louisiana Legislature in 2024, which created two majority-black districts after two lower courts ruled that an earlier map with just one majority-back district likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which barred racial discrimination in voting. Section 2 gave minority voters the right to get gerrymandering reversed by showing that redistricting violated their rights to representation. According to Professor Rick Hansen, an expert on election law and a teacher at the UCLA School of Law, while it may seem that the Supreme Court was merely updating the law, the Court actually made it virtually impossible for minority voters to bring claims that would show they have been denied their opportunity to elect their candidates of choice.
These actions—gutting the Voting Rights Act by removing the strength of action in both Section 5 and Section 2—undermine US democracy.
What does it mean? A rush towards exteme partisan gerrymanders
With the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, states are rushing to redraw their voting districts to give one political party an advantage in the 2026 elections and later ones.
By weakening the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that states draw congressional districts in a way that gives minorities an opportunity to ensure that they are represented, the Supreme Court escalated the nationwide redistricting war that has seen both major parties conducting partisan gerrymanders at the midpoint between censuses. These gerrymanders began before the 2026 Supreme Court decision—with Texas, California, Virginia and Florida—but have picked up speed since then.
This decision hands yet another tool to elected officials already working to rig maps and suppress fair representation. Following the Court’s decision, the Governor of Louisiana suspended the state’s May 16 primary, in which early voting had already begun (42,000 people have already mailed in their ballots), in order to redraw the map. Alabama and Tennessee are working on new maps to favor one party. The Tennessee leglislature also removed a provision in a state law requiring the government to alert voters about changes to their designated polling places when electoral lines are redrawn. Many more states will join the rush, which is expected to intensify looking forward to 2028.
What can I do? Get started on pushing back and preserving your right to vote
Choose the items from this menu—or think of others—to push back against partisan gerrymandering and preserve your right to vote.
- Make sure your name is on the current voter rolls for your state: periodically check with the local voter registrar of your polling area in the US. If your state has taken part in the gerrymander rush, contact local election officials to find out if it affects you. You can find the name and contact details of your local election official in the PDF that you received with your registration form. You can also find out how to contact local election officicals through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) and the US Vote Foundation, if you already know what your district is.
- Learn how your state handles redistricting. Each state’s process is described here. Many states have independent watchdog groups to monitor the process. Does your state have one? If so, contact them to see how you can get involved.
- Register and VOTE, especially on all candidates and issues in your state—if your state allows that and you registered for that. Your voice is stronger on state ballots and you have a greater influence on the outcome of those elections. Focus on state-level voting rights.With federal guarantees eroded by the Supreme Court, state laws can restore and (even strengthen) voting protections.
- Be informed on the issues and candidates in your state. The League of Women Voters is a good nonpartisan resource. See if there is a local chapter where you live and join it.
- Join a voter mobilization effort near you. Ensure that you and your community members are registered to vote and have a voting plan.
- Tell Congress to ban partisan and racial gerrymandering and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
- Stay alert. Talk with people. Ask questions. Listen when you talk with someone who holds different views than yours. Share what you know with people you know.
The Supreme Court just raised the barriers to fair representation in ththe USA. The efforts of every citizen—no matter where they live—are needed to redress the balance and preserve US democracy.
Additional resources
- Ifill S. What Happened to the Voting Rights Act? | The Daily Show. The Daily Show, May 6, 2026 (video).
- Ornstein N. The Contrarian, May 4, 2026.
- Rubin J. The Contrarian, May 11, 2026.
- Craven J. Substack, May 5, 2026 (video).
- Richardson HC. Politics chat, May 5, 2026 (video).
