FAIR MAP Act

Bill Number

H.R. 7219

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 2

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-01-22: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Last Updated

2026-02-12T04:08:25Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The FAIR MAP Act (H.R. 7219) seeks to promote fair and impartial congressional redistricting by establishing strict criteria for drawing district lines, limiting how often states can redraw them, and excluding non-citizens without legal immigration status from population counts used for apportioning House seats and electoral votes. It also imposes uniform voting requirements for federal elections to standardize processes and prevent certain practices, while clarifying that these rules do not apply to state or local elections.

Key Provisions

• District Requirements (Section 2): Congressional districts must be contiguous (connected land, with limited exceptions for water-surrounded areas), as compact as possible in shape, drawn without favoring or disfavoring political parties, candidates, or incumbents, and include existing community cores like neighborhoods or counties. Population equality across districts is based only on U.S. citizens and immigrants with legal status (lawful permanent residents or similar), using the latest census data. These rules apply to districts created after the bill's enactment.

• Limit on Redistricting (Section 3): States can redraw congressional districts only once after each decennial census (every 10 years) and apportionment of House seats, unless a court orders it to fix constitutional issues, enforce the Voting Rights Act (which protects minority voting rights), or comply with this act.

• Exclusion of Undocumented Immigrants from Apportionment (Section 4): Starting with the 2030 census, census forms must include a question on whether household members are U.S. citizens or have lawful immigration status. Apportionment of House representatives and electoral votes (used in presidential elections) will exclude people without lawful status, amending existing census and apportionment laws.

• Court Challenges to Districts (Section 5): Any legal challenges to state-drawn congressional districts must be filed in a U.S. federal district court, not state courts, for districts established after enactment.

• Ban on Ranked-Choice Voting (Section 6): States cannot use ranked-choice voting (where voters rank candidates by preference, and votes are redistributed until a majority winner emerges) in federal elections, such as for Congress or president. This applies to elections after enactment and amends the Help America Vote Act (a 2002 law improving election administration).

• Voter Identification Requirements (Section 7):
• In-person voters must show a valid photo ID issued by federal, state, or Tribal governments.
• Absentee or mail-in voters must sign their ballot envelope or card, which must match their signature in the state's computerized voter registration list.
• The absentee rule starts after the November 2026 federal election.

• Prohibition on Same-Day Registration (Section 8): Voters must be pre-registered before election day to vote in federal elections; same-day registration at polling places is not allowed.

• Scope Limitation (Section 9): The act does not change how states run elections or draw districts for state or local offices, like governors or city councils.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Amends the 1929 Census Act and related laws to add a citizenship status question to census forms (previously, the census counted all residents, including undocumented immigrants, for apportionment) and explicitly excludes those without lawful status from House seat and electoral vote calculations—reversing current practice where total population determines representation.
• Modifies the 1967 law on redistricting (2 U.S.C. 2c) to restrict states to one redistricting cycle per decade, closing loopholes that allowed mid-decade changes for political reasons.
• Adds new prohibitions to the Help America Vote Act, including the ranked-choice voting ban and voter ID/signature rules, which override varying state practices; previously, states had flexibility in these areas for federal elections.
• Shifts jurisdiction for redistricting challenges from state to federal courts, potentially centralizing oversight.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: The Census Bureau must update forms and data collection for 2030 and beyond, increasing administrative costs and complexity. States' election officials will need to implement ID checks, signature verification, and registration bans, possibly requiring new technology or training. Federal courts may see more redistricting lawsuits.

• On Citizens: Representation in Congress could shift toward states with higher citizen populations, potentially reducing seats in areas with large immigrant communities (e.g., border states). Voting access may tighten—photo ID requirements could disenfranchise those without easy access to IDs (like low-income or elderly voters), while the same-day registration ban limits last-minute participation. Undocumented immigrants are indirectly affected by exclusion from population counts but cannot vote anyway.

• On International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though the citizenship focus might influence U.S. immigration debates or perceptions abroad regarding treatment of non-citizens.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• States and Legislatures: Must comply with rigid districting rules and voting changes, potentially facing court-ordered redraws or enforcement actions.
• Voters and Communities: Especially racial minorities, immigrants, urban residents, and those in non-compact districts; tighter voting rules could affect turnout in diverse or low-mobility groups.
• Political Parties and Candidates: Reduced gerrymandering (manipulating district lines for advantage) may lead to more competitive races, but parties in immigrant-heavy areas could lose influence due to apportionment changes.
• Election Officials and Advocacy Groups: Local administrators handle new requirements; groups focused on voting rights (e.g., ACLU) or fair maps (e.g., redistricting reform organizations) will monitor implementation.
• Undocumented Immigrants: Excluded from representation counts, affecting community resources tied to congressional seats.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: The bill could invite lawsuits under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment (ensuring fair representation) or the Voting Rights Act, as excluding non-citizens from apportionment might dilute minority voting power in citizen-based districts. Voter ID and registration rules may face challenges for creating undue burdens on voting, similar to past Supreme Court cases like Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (2008), which upheld some ID laws but scrutinized barriers.

• Constitutional: Ties to Article I, Section 2 (apportionment based on population) and the Elections Clause (Article I, Section 4, giving Congress power over federal elections), potentially strengthening federal oversight but raising questions about states' rights to manage their elections. The citizenship exclusion revives debates from the founding era on whether "persons" in the Constitution includes non-citizens.

• Political: Aims to curb partisan gerrymandering and "double-counting" of non-voters in representation, appealing to reform advocates, but voting restrictions may polarize debates on election integrity vs. access. If passed, it could reshape the political map by 2030, favoring citizen-dense rural or suburban areas over urban immigrant hubs, influencing national policy on immigration and elections.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]

Cosponsors (1)

Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11]

Recent Actions

• 2026-01-22: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2026-01-22: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2026-01-22: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
• 2026-01-22: Introduced in House
• 2026-01-22: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Fair Apportionment and Independent Redistricting for Maps that Avoid Partisanship Act — issued 2026-01-22 — PDF (8 pages)