Florida Republicans, who have been in no rush to redraw congressional districts in time for November’s midterm elections, are delaying their redistricting plans once more.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that a special session scheduled for next week would be delayed until the following week, giving his team more time to propose a new congressional map.
He also added two new agenda items to the session: legislation aimed at protecting minors from artificial intelligence and a “medical freedom” bill that would provide a new way for students to opt out of certain vaccines. Mr. DeSantis asked lawmakers to return for up to four days, from April 28 until May 1.
Florida and Virginia remain the last two major battlegrounds in the national redistricting war that began last year, as states jostled to aggressively gerrymander for partisan gain in the November elections.
Some Republicans think that mid-decade redistricting, a rarity, could result in up to five new favorable seats in Florida, though no potential new maps have been made public. But others fear that redrawing the maps as President Trump’s polling numbers sag could end up costing some Republicans their seats, especially after Democrats won several recent special elections, including in a state legislative district that includes Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Largo resort.
Partisan gerrymandering has effectively been banned in Florida since voters passed the Fair Districts amendments in 2010. To justify redistricting, Mr. DeSantis has pointed to a pending decision from the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act. The court is considering whether to strike down a key provision in the landmark civil rights law; such a ruling could result in the elimination of some majority-minority congressional districts created to help voters of color elect their preferred candidates.
The court, whose term ends in late June, is yet to issue an opinion, though an opinion day is scheduled for Friday. Mr. DeSantis, who is term-limited, indicated last week that he planned to push to draw new maps even if the Supreme Court did not issue a ruling before the state’s special session.
In a news release late Wednesday, the state senate’s president, Ben Albritton, a Republican, said that his chamber is not drafting a map; instead, he said, it expects the governor’s office to share and explain a proposed map.
He added that State Senator Clay Yarborough, a Republican, will file a bill that would create a “conscience exemption” from vaccine requirements for children in K-12 schools. The bill, a version of which passed the Senate during the regular session, would also authorize the over-the-counter sale of ivermectin, a medication used to treat parasitic infections.
U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, who is the Republican front-runner in the race to succeed Mr. DeSantis, said in a campaign event on Monday that Florida should redraw its maps to help Republicans keep control of Congress, The Miami Herald reported.
He also told the newspaper that he expected state lawmakers to comply with the Fair Districts amendments.
Patricia Mazzei is the lead reporter for The Times in Miami, covering Florida and Puerto Rico.
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