The United States has passed the point of no return in the unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting fight between Texas and California, which threatens to expand to other states like Republican-controlled Florida and Democratic-controlled New York.

In response, the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR) has sent out an open letter in opposition to what the association calls an effort by the major parties to “subvert the will of the electorate for their own political advantage.”

NANR is calling on better elections groups and pro-voter reformers to add their signatures – and their support.

“Gerrymandering is not a partisan problem. It is a voter problem. When politicians manipulate district lines to protect themselves or disadvantage their opponents, the People are left without full representation,” the letter states.

Both California and Texas passed new laws late last week that will allow them to redistrict their congressional maps before the 2030 census. For Texas, all that is needed is Governor Greg Abbott’s signature. In California, voters will have the final say.

From the beginning, neither side hid that this was all about partisan advantage. President Donald Trump wanted 5 new GOP-leaning districts in Texas to protect his party's thin majority in the U.S. House and California seeks to nullify this with 5 new Democratic seats.

And while California Democrats pitched the proposal as a “trigger” response – Governor Gavin Newsom signed his redistricting plan into law before Texas Republicans sent their new map to Abbott’s desk. 

Now, more states may join the battle for political control ahead of the 2026 midterms – including Florida, Indiana, Maryland, and New York, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul saying, “game on,” as if the stakes were not far more serious.

NANR points out that what is happening across the U.S. right now shouldn't be trivialized, because it diminishes accountability, representation, and voter rights (things the system already suppresses with decennial gerrymandering and restrictions on voter access).

"One party cannot outgerrymander the other in pursuit of a better democracy. This race to the bottom only undermines the legitimacy of representative government itself," NANR's letter says.

Our message is simple: Gerrymandering Anywhere is a Threat to a Representative Democracy Everywhere."

Reformers Call Out Both Sides

NANR is composed of a broad coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to structural electoral reforms that are pro-voter, not anti-party, and was founded by groups like the Independent Voter Project (IVP), which is a principal sponsor of IVN News. 

IVP authored California’s voter-approved Top Two open primary and has challenged closed primaries in states like New Jersey and California’s semi-closed presidential primary elections, which deny independent voters equal and meaningful electoral participation.

The 10 Worst Gerrymandered States in the Country

“Any reapportionment designed to eliminate competitive districts in order to create partisan advantage of one political party is inherently destructive to the very core principles of representative government,” said IVP Board member Steve Peace.

Of course, gerrymandering is nothing new. Since party members are the ones who write the nation’s election rules, they have redrawn electoral boundaries to maximize their advantage in states where they have the majority.

What voters are witnessing happening today takes this assault on accountable and meaningful representation even further when Republicans and Democrats decide the districts can be redrawn on a whim, whenever they need to protect their control.

Peace added:

In the most recent cases of Texas and California, the architects of both proposals have made public admissions of their intent to maximize partisan advantage by disenfranchising all independent voters as well as Republicans and Democrats living in districts deliberately designed to make their vote meaningless.”

He explained that the Supreme Court “has previously opined on the fundamental right of each voter to a meaningful vote." These plans, he said, “blatantly flaunt the law.”

In their blind partisan rage, both political parties have abandoned any reasonable claim to any ethical or common sense standard necessary to defend these lines either in Court or in any honestly enfranchised electorate.”

IVP is among the increasing number of organizations to sign NANR’s open letter. As of now, other signatories include Open Primaries, Rank The Vote, Veterans for All Voters, Issue One, Better Choices for Democracy, and The Center for Election Science.  

“I served with Americans from every background who put our country first. Gerrymandering erodes that spirit. It walls off communities and rewards party loyalty over service to the people," said Eric Bronner, Founder of Veterans for All Voters.

That's why Veterans for All Voters is proud to stand with partners calling for fair, competitive maps in every state."

“Gerrymandering is wrong no matter who’s doing it, whether it’s done by a red state or a blue state,” said Jeremy Gruber, Senior Vice President of Open Primaries.

“When politicians manipulate the lines of their districts, it’s always the voters who lose. This current fight to the bottom by both parties is sorely lacking the real political leadership our country desperately needs to move forward.”

And as the issue takes center stage in the national political discussion, more people are speaking out against the bipartisan mechanisms used in elections to give Republicans and Democrats the most control over who gets a meaningful vote.

For example, former U.S. representative (from Virginia) and Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress President and CEO Glenn Nye called for a series of nonpartisan reforms in an op-ed for The Hill.

“Although partisan gerrymandering has sadly become a routine practice pushing us further into tribalism and dysfunction, the current crisis should be seen for what it is: a flashing red warning light for our democracy,” he wrote.

He proposed the following reforms:

• Nonpartisan primaries: “Move away from partisan primaries and instead embrace unified nonpartisan primaries in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party, with all voters allowed to participate. Candidates willing to cooperate across party lines would thus avoid elimination by a small minority of the most partisan base voters.” 
• Majority vote requirement: “Require that the winners of general elections earn a majority of votes, rather than just a plurality. This reform would allow third parties to compete on a more level playing field with the two established parties, without a vote for them having a potential “spoiler effect.” This reform would reward candidates who appeal to a broader set of voters and incentivize greater cooperation among elected officials.” 
• Independent electoral map commissions: “Require that states use independent commissions to draw electoral maps, ending partisan gerrymandering and removing incumbent advantages that often result in loss of competitive districts and unrepresentative delegations.” 
• Nonpartisan election officials: “Make elections for state officials who administer elections nonpartisan, including elections for secretaries of state. Use independent commissions to decide election rules, rather than partisan elected officials. It does not work to have elections refereed by the competing players, as should by now be painfully clear.”

With the threat of more states getting involved, the risk to voter rights and representation extends beyond Texas and California. Reformers understand what is at stake, even as the press and partisan pundits try to frame this as “Trump vs Newsom,” “They did it, so we get to do it.” 

By sending out its open letter, NANR is challenging this tired, old partisan script – because this isn’t a game. This is supposed to be a democracy.