KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
A Kansas advocacy group is rallying voters to oppose a potential special legislative session that could redraw the state's congressional maps years ahead of schedule.
“Kansas Fair Maps reformed early in the redistricting process, because unfortunately, our state legislators are being bullied by DC politicians to come together and redraw our congressional maps early, just for political gain,” said Laurel Burchfield, a representative with Kansas Fair Maps.
Kansas Fair Maps argues that mid-decade redistricting is unfair and removes power from voters. The group says Johnson County's congressional seat is the primary target of the proposed new maps, though the changes would affect the entire state.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids (D - 3rd District, Kansas) called the latest attempt to change Kansas maps a “power grab.”
"Our state Senate President… said specifically that they would not split up Johnson County and now they’re doing it because Donald Trump is telling them to… Their job is to represent Kansans, not do whatever Donald Trump tells them to do,” said Davids.
Kansas isn't scheduled for new congressional maps until after the 2030 census, but a petition and discussions of a special session as soon as November have raised concerns.
"This process of gerrymandering our congressional districts means that our elected officials are the ones deciding who goes to DC, not the voters," said Burchfield. "So the very process of redrawing the congressional maps now versus when we're supposed to after the next census, it really puts into question the value of our election systems."
Burchfieldsays pressure from Washington, D.C., is driving the redistricting push. Republican lawmakers in Kansas are expected to attend a leadership conference in the nation's capital Wednesday.
The timing is no coincidence, and the speed at which potential redistricting is moving means Kansans need to pay attention now, according to Burchfield.
Senate President Ty Masterson presented the petition for the special session. In a statement, Masterson said "the Senate will have no trouble securing enough signatures" and added that lawmakers are "targeting early November to address these time-sensitive issues and maximize the opportunity for all our congressional districts to fairly represent Kansas in Congress, empowering President Trump to advance America's greatness."
"Republican leadership just appropriated $460,000 from the state general fund for a redistricting special session that Kansans are not calling for," Kansas Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said.
To help Kansans understand this redistricting push, and that Kansans, not politicians, should decide who represents them, Kansas Fair Maps is hosting an event. It’s Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. at the Powell Community Center in Mission.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
