HOUSTON, United States

The US state of Ohio on Friday approved a new congressional map that would give a boost to Republicans ahead of next year's midterm elections, according to media reports.

The move came as part of an unexpected deal reached by the state's bipartisan redistricting commission. The map shifted two Democratic-held districts to the right and one to the left, while also maintaining 10 districts that favor Republicans and two that are Democratic strongholds.

Legal experts said the new congressional map would give a slight boost to Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and some members of the public who attended the meeting cried foul, saying: "Shame, shame on you all. You sold us out!"

Democrats largely expected the constitutionally-mandated redistricting commission to reach a stalemate, as it did in four years ago. The consequences of reaching a similar result to the 2021 redistricting vote, however, would have given Republicans full responsibility for setting congressional boundaries in a Republican-controlled state legislature, which could have drawn an aggressively gerrymandered map. That, in turn, would have forced Democrats to threaten pursuing a statewide referendum that could have resulted in voters blocking the map from going into effect.

The state is currently represented by 10 Republicans and five Democrats, and the new voter map would basically give Republicans control of 13 of the state's 15 congressional districts.

By making the deal, both parties avoided a referendum in which Democrats would have had to gather nearly 250,000 signatures in a 90-day period to challenge the new congressional map.

The emergence of Ohio’s new map proposal comes amid a push by President Donald Trump to have Republican-led states redraw new congressional maps in an effort to shore up the party's razor-thin majority in the US House of Representatives, which has only a three-seat advantage.

Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have all drawn new maps this year boosting Republicans, while California Democrats are asking voters to approve new district lines on Nov. 4.

Besides, Virginia Democrats took steps this week to modify their redistricting commission to allow them to redraw their state’s map next year, while Indiana Republican lawmakers are also expected to consider a redistricting effort.

Other states, including Louisiana, await a Supreme Court ruling that could open the door to redrawing their congressional maps next year.