{"id":344454,"date":"2026-07-18T13:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T13:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/344454\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T13:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T13:11:08","slug":"a-rush-job-on-redistricting-spells-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/344454\/","title":{"rendered":"A rush job on redistricting spells problems"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When President Donald Trump asked Georgia\u2019s Republican Secretary of State to \u201cfind 11,780 votes\u201d in 2020 to keep him in power, Brad Raffensperger said no.<\/p>\n<p>When Trump asked Texas Republicans to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-congress-house-republicans-texas-redistricting-d18e8280a32872d9eefcbb26f66a0331\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">create new congressional districts<\/a> to keep Congress in his power, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could not say yes fast enough. Neither could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/2026\/01\/07\/desantis-orders-special-legislative-session-to-change-florida-congressional-districts\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gov. Ron DeSantis<\/a> in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>People in power who fear the judgment of voters will do almost anything to keep them from voting. That was on full display in Trump\u2019s Thursday night speech. The president\u2019s gusher of disinformation and conspiracy theories is designed to create support for voter suppression measures, including passing the SAVE America Act, which <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/5971999-thom-tillis-trump-save-america-act-voter-id-senate\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">could keep millions<\/a> from casting ballots.<\/p>\n<p>For now, voters in Florida are more likely to be tripped up by smaller hurdles. That includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/2026\/07\/02\/florida-voters-know-your-rights-and-risks-editorial\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">driver license revisions<\/a> as well as precinct and district changes stemming from congressional redistricting.<\/p>\n<p>In a continuing series of editorials, the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board is providing information on voting rights and risks, with advice on how to ensure your vote is counted.<\/p>\n<p>Florida voters get it<\/p>\n<p>Floridians understand the damage political gerrymandering can do. It\u2019s why, in 2010, 63% voted to amend the state constitution, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2010_Florida_Amendment_6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">barring gerrymandering<\/a> and requiring fair districts.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear that DeSantis did not have fairness <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlrn.org\/government-politics\/2026-04-27\/desantis-fair-districts-amendment-unconstitutional-gerrymander\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">or the Constitution<\/a> in mind when he made sure Fox News, not lawmakers or voters, saw Florida\u2019s new congressional maps first.<\/p>\n<p>Florida\u2019s four million Democrats represent 30% of state voters. But almost all the new congressional districts are so gerrymandered that they ensure Democrats cannot win. The fix is in.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"The 22th Congressional District, created in the 2026 Florida special redistricting, takes in parts of Broward, including Parkland and Weston, and Palm Beach County, including Wellington and the Glades communities, and stretches west to Marco Island and the Gulf Coast. (Florida Senate\/courtesy)\" width=\"825\" data- src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TFL-L-22nd-congressional-district-2026.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"13334534\" \/>The 22th Congressional District, created in the 2026 Florida special redistricting, takes in parts of Broward, including Parkland and Weston, and Palm Beach County, including Wellington and the Glades communities, and stretches west to Marco Island and the Gulf Coast. (Florida Senate\/courtesy)<\/p>\n<p>The consequences take a hatchet to common-sense representation.<\/p>\n<p>Take the new Congressional District 22. Because mapmakers were bent on partisan gain, they shrugged off the idea of adequate representation for all people in the sprawling district, which starts in Broward and ends in Collier, straddling the peninsula.<\/p>\n<p>Disjointed districts, by design<\/p>\n<p>They ignored how little the residents of Labelle in Hendry County, who drive miles to a grocery store, have in common with condo owners on posh Marco Island.<\/p>\n<p>The district is so geographically disconnected that a hurricane striking its eastern edge might be a concern for only half the district\u2019s voters. The western edge is far enough away that it could stay bone dry for hours.<\/p>\n<p>Further, gerrymandering sidelines moderate Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. That\u2019s because gerrymandered districts produce candidates who do not have to address bipartisan interests to win. The result is candidates with less reason to moderate their extremist views, encouraging more extremist laws.<\/p>\n<p>But the immediate consequence of redistricting so close to the midterm elections is voter confusion.<\/p>\n<p>Redistricting usually starts at the beginning of the decade, well ahead of elections. That gives local supervisors of elections time to prepare voters, and voters time to familiarize themselves with new districts and candidates.<\/p>\n<p>A rush job spells trouble<\/p>\n<p>But the new Florida maps were so rushed, and make such dramatic changes, that voters may not know which congressional district they are in. The new map \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/2026\/05\/09\/new-congressional-districts-will-reshape-south-florida-politics-for-voters-and-candidates\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">splits my city in half<\/a>,\u201d said state Rep. Rob Long of Delray Beach.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Parkland <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AndrewSolender\/status\/2048906737315401852\" rel=\"nofollow\">told Axios<\/a> that one of every two voters in the 23rd congressional district he represents are in the new District 25. Further, in-person voters must vote at their correct precinct, and some precinct polling places have changed.<\/p>\n<p>Broward and Palm Beach voters have multiple ways to identify their new districts.<\/p>\n<p>New voter information and ID cards were mailed to all affected voters in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/2026\/07\/06\/be-sure-to-vote-no-matter-what-letters-to-the-editor\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Broward<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/votepalmbeach\/p\/Dan3YJmlM59\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Palm Beach<\/a> counties. They identify precinct numbers, polling locations and district races.<\/p>\n<p>Online, Broward voters can also <a href=\"https:\/\/browardvotes.gov\/voters\/precinct-finder\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">locate their precinct online<\/a> using their residential address. Palm Beach County voters can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.votepalmbeach.gov\/171\/Precinct-Finder\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">find their precinct online<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n<p>By phone, if you have not received a new voter card in the mail, or you are unsure about districts or precincts, contact the Broward Supervisor of Elections at 954-357-VOTE, or the Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections at 561-656-6200.<\/p>\n<p>The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/2026\/07\/18\/a-rush-job-on-redistricting-spells-problems-editorial\/mailto:letters@sun-sentinel.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">letters@sun-sentinel.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When President Donald Trump asked Georgia\u2019s Republican Secretary of State to \u201cfind 11,780 votes\u201d in 2020 to keep&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344455,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[2853,249,251,250,114,482],"class_list":["post-344454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-editorials","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}