Daily Herald opinion: Stopping a frightening free-for-all: Fair maps amendment, protections needed more than ever

In a year marked by unchecked political chaos and calculated assaults on Democratic principles, it’s hard to pinpoint which White House move, executive order or late-night social media rant unnerved us the most.

But among the more alarming are President Donald Trump’s attempts to sway the 2026 midterms in his favor by pushing red states to reshape their political maps — a process normally tied to the once-a-decade census — to eliminate Democratic-leaning House of Representatives districts and preserve Republican control of the House.

Texas was first to do the president’s bidding, with Republicans there redrawing maps to carve out five more likely seats for the GOP. Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio followed.

Democrats, in response, did a bit of map tinkering as well, with most notably California approving a ballot measure to allow mid-cycle redistricting designed to counterbalance Texas’ move.

And, really, who can blame them? Fighting fire with fire is a dangerous precedent, but Trump set it in motion as he continues to roll over the checks and balances essential to our republic.

Let’s be clear: There is no moral high ground here. As we have stated before, if you abandon the belief that elected bodies should reflect the will of voters over the whims of politicians, then gerrymandering could be on the table every time a party in power feels threatened.

Map manipulation disenfranchises voters, who have less incentive to cast ballots when the system is rigged to favor one party over another. It also divides neighborhoods and can dilute minority representation.

Illinoisans know the effects of gerrymandering well: Political districts drawn to protect state Democrats wind through multiple counties, earning the state a deserved “F” grade from the independent Princeton Gerrymandering Project.

We have long pushed Illinois to rectify the problem, and we’ve supported passage of a Fair Maps Amendment that would pave the way for an independent commission to draw clear, contiguous districts that serve voters, not political parties.

But we must not stop at the state level.

We need a federal solution. And as the last few months show, we need it desperately.

A federal amendment would face massive hurdles, but there have been attempts to pass legislation addressing the issue.

Just last year, Democratic U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Laphonza Butler of California introduced the Redistricting Reform Act of 2024, which called for a more transparent and less partisan approach to creating political maps. Importantly, it would have banned mid-decade attempts to redraw them.

No surprise, then, that the measure never made it to a vote.

But perhaps, as we have pointed out in the past, the one redeeming grace of the redistricting free-for-all this year could be a heightened interest in a matter too long left to self-serving politicians.

Perhaps, we as voters are angry enough to demand more.

In the coming year, candidates for state and federal office should be pressed for their opinions on this vital issue. Specifically, they must be challenged on what they will do to turn words into action. And they must be held accountable for failure to do so.

Fair maps are essential to fair elections. Americans deserve no less.