IN FOCUS - May 1, 2026

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a six-decade-old section of the Voting Rights Act - effectively outlawing the practice of taking into consideration the racial makeup of voters when drawing legislative and congressional district lines.

The decision is almost certain to spur further escalation in the redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic parties. Immediately following the SCOTUS ruling, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) declared our state’s legislative maps “unconstitutionally gerrymandered,” and threatened to bring suit. 

“Our maps are racist,” President Petersen told the Arizona Republic. “The redistricting commission should meet and they should fix the maps. And if they don’t do it, then we’ll litigate.”

Democratic legislators pledged to fight back. 

“Fair maps are fundamental to a healthy democracy,” said Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan (D-Tucson), “and we will continue to fight to protect them.”

In Arizona, an Independent Redistricting Commission is authorized by voters to draw congressional and legislative maps once per decade. Criteria the IRC take into account include: population size; district shape; geographic features; preservation of communities of interest; and adherence with the Voting Rights Act. In practice, following the VRA resulted in the creation of two majority-minority congressional districts (CDs 3 and 7), as well as eight legislative districts with majority Latino or Native American makeup.

Other states are scrambling to draw new district maps in advance of midterm elections this fall. 

Arizona’s IRC isn’t scheduled to reconvene until following the 2030 Census, though a court order could theoretically force its hand. But, Senate Minority Leader Sundareshan warned any 11th hour redistricting exercise “risks chaos, confusion and undermines voter confidence.” It also seems highly unlikely, given that early voting for Arizona’s Primary Election begins in less than two months, on June 24.

On the other hand, new district maps before the 2028 elections seem much more plausible.