Your September Redistricting Briefing

Ten states redrew congressional maps between 2025 and 2026. A Supreme Court ruling in April 2026 narrowed the legal standard for VRA challenges. Georgia called a special session in June 2026. Several states are already planning new maps for 2028. Redistricting no longer has an off-season.

In that same period, Tennessee redistricted its state House, litigated the maps all the way to the state Supreme Court, and put something on the record: Maptitude for Redistricting is the superior tool for this work. Building on these existing capabilities is Maptitude for Redistricting 2026. The new features, the Tennessee case study, and how to check your plan before opposing counsel does are all covered below .

-Tracy Horgan, Director of Redistricting Services

What is new in Maptitude for Redistricting 2026

We haven't stopped making improvements to Maptitude for Redistricting 2026 that increase insight into your plans and sharpen the tools you use to perfect them. Here's some of what's new:

• Find Non-Contiguous Areas now has an option to ignore islands. Turn it on and the tool skips areas that are split by water. Your results then point to real problems instead of islands that belong where they are.
• Automatically Assign Unassigned Areas now reports how many unassigned areas in a district were added to the surrounding districts.
• Custom color palettes can also be created and saved for reuse the next time Maptitude is opened (Map>Layers>Style>Color>Custom).

Also new: Maptitude improvements that matter for redistricting

Every Maptitude for Redistricting release includes the latest Maptitude improvements. Here are the ones most relevant to redistricting work.

Data

• 2024 Census ACS demographics down to the Census Block Group.

Performance and usability

• Faster maps. Panning with imagery is up to 5.8x faster, with all layers drawing at the same time.
• A clean Office-style simplified ribbon and refreshed icons give Maptitude 2026 a sharp, contemporary interface, with everything still right where you expect it.

Case Study

In court, the tool becomes part of the record

After the 2020 Census, Tennessee drew all 99 state House districts using Maptitude for Redistricting. When the map was challenged in Wygant v. Lee, the choice of software became a contested issue at trial. The panel made its own factual finding:

“The Court finds Maptitude is superior to Dave’s as a mapmaking tool.”

Wygant v. Lee, Chancery Court for Davidson County, Tennessee, Nov. 22, 2023

The order also cited Maptitude as the superior software supplied for the mapmaking work. The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the decision in December 2025. The case record shows what professional scrutiny looks like and what it means to have the right tool in the room.

Free Live Training

Learn the 2026 tools, live with an instructor

New to Maptitude for Redistricting, or want a refresher on the 2026 features? Free half-day virtual training is available now. Space is limited and advance registration is required. Next class: November 3 , 2026

The free half-day course covers material valuable to both new and experienced users: creating plans, importing equivalency files, checking contiguity, comparing plan demographics, and generating maps and reports.

Questions about your license? Ready to upgrade to Maptitude for Redistricting 2026?

Email: sales@caliper.com • Phone: 617-527-4700