February 18, 2026
Redistricting news is coming to the forefront in three states, New York, Utah, and Virginia. Today, we will review the latest information.
New York
Empire State Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis* (R-Staten Island) previously filed a lawsuit appealing a lower court ruling that declared her 11th Congressional District as a racial gerrymander. Her appeal is before the New York Appellate Division. The initial ruling was made in relation to the New York Voting Rights Act.
This is the first time that a federal political district has been adjudicated under a state voting rights law. While the ruling declared NY-11 as a racial gerrymander, it also included a redraw order that negated the use of the current NY-11 CD in the 2026 election.
Under the New York judicial procedure, a motion to appeal automatically stays the previous ruling until heard by the upper courts. This week, the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court and equivalent to a Supreme Court in most states, released a statement saying they would not hear the case on an expedited basis and further emphasizing that the Appellate Division is the proper authority to rule on the motion.
Therefore, a great deal of confusion remains. If the appellate division fails to act before the New York candidate filing deadline of April 6, would this lead to a postponement of the filing procedure and possibly the June 23 primary? And, if the court delays the filing deadline and potentially the primary, would this apply statewide or just to the 11th Congressional District and the neighboring CDs that a redraw would affect?
Once again, we see another redistricting issue causing widespread confusion. It remains to be seen how the courts rule, and until they do at least a portion of the New York congressional map hangs in abeyance.
Utah
In 2025, a Utah court ruled that the Beehive State’s congressional map was illegal because the legislature failed to adhere to voter passed criteria relating to the drawing of congressional districts.
As a result, the court imposed a new map, one that will create a Salt Lake City anchored seat, labeled District 1, that a Democrat will win. In fact, at this point, about a month before the congressional filing deadline of March 13, no Republican has even announced their candidacy. Therefore, a gain of one Democratic seat under this new Utah map appears certain.
According to a report from The Down Ballot political blog, Republican activists took to the streets and submitted ballot petition signatures to repeal the new map and thereby restore the previous plan. The activists have submitted well over the number of signatures required to qualify a ballot initiative, but whether the signatures adhere to all provisions of the petition law remains unclear.
Not only does a petition need 140,748 signatures, but a specific number must come from various geographic regions. Therefore, whether the petitions submitted meet the regional requirements remains unknown. The election authorities have until March 7 to issue a decision.
It is most likely that the new map will remain in place at least for the 2026 elections. If so, we will see a new Democrat coming from Salt Lake City, along with Congressman Mike Kennedy (R-Alpine) and US Rep. Celeste Malloy* (R-Cedar City) paired in new District 3. This draw takes UT-3 south and east of Salt Lake City before stretching down the Colorado border all the way to Arizona.
Virginia
Last Thursday, Chief Judge Jack Hurley with the Tazewell County Circuit Court issued an emergency order stopping preparations for an April referendum that would allow lawmakers to revisit the commonwealth’s congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The ruling prevents election officials from moving forward while the case is reviewed, creating a major obstacle for Democrats seeking to adjust district lines ahead of upcoming federal elections. The judge concluded that the legal challenge brought by Republican groups and lawmakers has strong merit, particularly regarding constitutional requirements for how and when amendments may be placed before voters.
The court found potential problems with both the referendum’s schedule and the language that would appear on the ballot, suggesting that voters could be misled about the proposal’s purpose. The order also rejected efforts by state officials to move the case to another court, keeping it in its current venue for now.
The ruling comes shortly after the Virginia Supreme Court indicated last week that the referendum could continue as scheduled, even while it reviews an earlier ruling from Chief Judge Hurley that questioned the legality of the underlying amendment. That decision appeared to clear the way for voters to weigh in, despite unresolved disputes over how the proposal was approved.
If the referendum were to pass, the Democrats’ plan would radically change the state. Currently, Democrats have six congressional seats in the Virginia delegation and the Republicans’ five. The new plan projects that Democrats could gain four seats, thus making a 10D – 1R delegation.
Some analysts suggest that a 9D – 2R split is more likely, however. Congresswoman Jen Kiggans* (R-Virginia Beach) would be placed in a 50-50 District 2, and her likely opponent is the woman she unseated in 2022, former congressman Elaine Luria (D). Therefore, the Virginia Beach race might be the tightest in the state. The rest of the GOP members will be likely drawn out of their seats or paired with another Republican.
Democratic leaders, including state Attorney General Jay Jones (D), have announced plans to appeal Hurley’s ruling, arguing that higher courts should resolve the dispute and that voters deserve the opportunity to decide the issue.
From a national redirecting standpoint, the Virginia situation is extremely critical because if the Democrats gain four seats here, they very possibly could finish slightly ahead of Republicans in national redistricting if they meet their stated goals in California, Utah, and Virginia.
The national redistricting picture is still cloudy. It is unclear exactly how many new maps will be in place for the 2026 election, and if either party could meet their stated maximum goals regarding the flipping of congressional districts to their side.
Therefore, many unanswered questions remain regarding which maps will be in place for election year 2026 and is largely due to judicial inaction.
The new maps locked into place lie in California, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. The states where legal and political challenges remain are Louisiana, still before the US Supreme Court, Missouri, regarding a qualification of a balance initiative that can negate their new map, and whether Florida will pass a new map in a special legislative session, in addition to the three states we covered in this column, New York, Utah, and Virginia.
