Should the United States Constitution be amended to restrict the redrawing of congressional districts to only once every decade following the new census?
The ballot question will be optional and is intended for those students whose teacher discussed the issue in class, so that students can cast an informed vote.
The 2025 New Jersey Student Mock Election is focused on New Jersey state government, which has a great impact on daily life in the state. However, the 2026 congressional mid-term elections loom large in the state's and nation's political consciousness, and one of the powers mainly left to the states in the United States Constitution is the control of elections. Texas has precipitated a nation-wide debate on the practice of redistricting for partisan advantage at times other than immediately following the new decennial census, setting off a chain-reaction of redistricting debates and proposals in other states. Given the importance of the question for fair elections and how it illustrates the importance of who controls state government, the mock election has chosen the above ballot question in the hope that it will inform class discussions in the coming year. Below are some initial resources, with more to follow.
Mid-Decade Congressional Redistricting: Key Issues | Congress.gov | Library of Congress . See end of summary for proposed legislation regarding the issue.
National Conference of State Legislatures summary of issue: Mid-Decade Redistricting
NBC News: A decade of Supreme Court rulings have given states increasingly unfettered power in redistricting
Some states have procedures for independent commissions to oversee the decennial redistricting, and some state constitutions restrict mid-decade redistricting. What does the New Jersey Constitution say?
PBS Digital Studios YouTube Video: Gerrymandering: Is Geometry Silencing Your Vote
National Constitution Center podcast (one hour 12 minutes): The History and Future of Partisan Gerrymandering in America - Podcast | Constitution Center
The origin of the term "gerrymander": Where Did the Term “Gerrymander” Come From? (Smithsonian Magazine) and Elbridge Gerry and the Original Gerrymander | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Here is a tool teachers and students can use to attempt to draw their own fair districts using census block data. It is recommended for ease of use they attempt to draw the 12 New Jersey congressional districts, rather than the 40 state legislative districts.
New Jersey Center For Civic Education Teaching Elections PowerPoint 2025. This contains several slides regarding redistricting. It is also available on our Teacher Resources page for information regarding New Jersey government, media literacy, and teaching controversial issues such as elections.