Florida Governor Signs New Congressional Map, Boosting GOP Edge
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called a special legislative session, which began on Tuesday, April 20, 2023, to consider and subsequently pass a new congressional redistricting map. The map was approved by the Florida House in an 83-28 vote and the Senate in a 21-17 vote, largely along party lines. The proposal is now awaiting the Governor's signature.
The approved map is projected to increase the Republican Party's advantage in Florida’s U.S. House delegation. Under the current configuration, Republicans hold 20 of the state's 28 seats, with Democrats holding 7 and one vacancy. Under the new map, 24 districts are projected to favor Republican candidates, while 4 districts are projected to favor Democratic candidates.
Redistricting Context and Rationale
Governor DeSantis has stated that the redistricting effort is necessary due to population growth recorded in the 2020 census and in anticipation of a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case Louisiana v. Callais, which addresses Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. DeSantis has argued that a ruling in this case could affect at least one or two congressional districts in Florida and could invalidate portions of the state's "Fair Districts" amendment.
State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the House sponsor of the map, stated that the map does not align with the current state constitution but is based on a "viable legal theory." The map was drafted by Governor DeSantis' aide Jason Parada, who testified that he used political performance data but did not consider racial data in drawing the lines.
Political Reactions and Opposition
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) criticized the redistricting efforts. Governor DeSantis responded to this criticism by challenging Jeffries to campaign in Florida, stating, "Please. Be my guest."
Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, stated that the party will file lawsuits against the map, calling the effort "unconstitutional gerrymandering." Democratic state legislators, including State Representative Michele Rayner and State Representative Angie Nixon, criticized the process, with Rayner accusing Republicans of injecting national political objectives into a state process and Nixon criticizing lawmakers for deferring to the governor.
Evan Power, chair of the Republican Party of Florida, expressed support for the map, stating that drawing compact districts would result in more Republican representation.
Legal Framework and Background
Florida's constitution includes a "Fair Districts" amendment, passed by voters in 2010, which prohibits drawing district boundaries with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent and includes protections for minority populations. Governor DeSantis has argued that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in the Louisiana case renders the race-based districting provisions of the Fair Districts amendment invalid.
The constitutionality of the Fair Districts amendment and the new map is expected to be decided by the Florida Supreme Court, where six of seven justices were appointed by Governor DeSantis. The new map reshapes districts in Democratic-leaning areas around Orlando, Tampa, and South Florida. It effectively eliminates a district previously represented by Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and alters districts held by Democrats Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, Jared Moskowitz, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Other Issues Addressed in the Special Session
In addition to redistricting, the special session also addresses proposals to regulate artificial intelligence and to ease school vaccine requirements. The AI proposal seeks to require parental permission for minors to interact with AI chatbots and to prevent AI from generating harmful content. The vaccine proposal seeks a conscience-based exemption to public school vaccine requirements.
National Redistricting Context
The redistricting in Florida is part of a broader national trend of mid-decade redistricting, which former President Donald Trump has encouraged in Republican-led states. According to projections, Republican-led states have redrawn districts to favor the GOP in approximately 13 additional seats nationally, while Democratic-led states have gained an advantage in approximately 10 seats, including new maps in California and a redistricting referendum in Virginia.