TENNESSEE, USA — Tennessee has a long history of congressional maps drawn to favor the party in power, and the state’s latest redistricting continues that tradition. However, for the first time mid-cycle, Memphis’ only reliably Democratic district is being split, while several East Tennessee counties are being reshuffled.
University of Tennessee Baker School professor Bill Lyons explained that what makes this new Tennessee congressional map different isn’t just local politics.
“The party in power gets the ability to redraw lines … making those lines give you the maximum output for the party in power is constitutional,” Lyons said. “The main thing that’s changed here is this is a midterm redistricting, which Tennessee and most other states have not done.”…