Limited options for Democrats to retaliate if Texas Republicans redraw congressional map

As Republicans move to redraw legislative maps in red states to pad their narrow House majority in Washington, some Democrats are rethinking their embrace of a nonpartisan approach to line-drawing that now complicates their party's ability to hit back before next year's midterm elections.

In many Democratic-controlled states, independent commissions rather than the state legislature handle redistricting, the normally once-a-decade task of adjusting congressional and legislative districts so their populations are equal. Parties in the majority can exploit that process to shape their lawmakers’ districts so they are almost guaranteed reelection.

The commission model limits parties’ ability to game the system, leading to more competitive districts. Not all redistricting commissions were cre