• ICYMI

ICYMI: Florida Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Gov. DeSantis’s Mid-Decade Gerrymandering Scheme

Washington, D.C. — This week, the Republican-led Florida Legislature is set to begin a special session called by Governor DeSantis to re-gerrymander the Sunshine State’s congressional map, in spite of overwhelming public opposition and a strict ban on partisan gerrymandering in the state constitution.

“If DeSantis forces this unconstitutional gerrymander forward in Florida, it won’t be because the voters asked him to,” said John Bisognano, President of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC). “Republicans will only have themselves to blame when they face resistance in the courtroom and at the ballot box for this egregious power grab.”

Poll after poll has shown that the overwhelming majority of Floridian voters do not want a mid-decade gerrymander. They aren’t alone. Local editorial boards across the state are slamming this blatantly partisan power grab:

“This is exactly the kind of partisan scheming that a pair of constitutional amendments passed in 2010 were supposed to prevent. The amendments demanded districts for both Congress and the state Legislature that were drawn along rational lines, and without any attempt to favor one party over another.”

—Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel

Some victories come at too high a cost, and winning a few more House seats isn’t worth it. If Republicans believe that gerrymandering is the only path to victory, then they’ve already lost something more fundamental than a congressional majority: their claim to principled governance.”

—Editorial Board, The Miami Herald

The overwhelming public outcry is making Florida Republicans think twice about following through with DeSantis’s planned gerrymander, which GOP consultants warn may end up backfiring on them. In a memo earlier this year, Florida Senate President Ben Albritton warned state Senators that a redraw could land themselves in court. Moreover, members of Florida’s congressional delegation worry that further gerrymandering may actually give Democrats a chance to flip several Republican seats. “I’ve been around enough reapportionments to know it can come back and bite you,” Florida Congressman Daniel Webster told Punchbowl.

The question for Florida Republicans is: Will they follow DeSantis’s orders and go down with the ship? Or will they stand with the people, uphold their oath to the state Constitution, and reject this partisan power grab?

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