New Jersey may miss out on all the fun - a penalty for doing things right.

Sounds odd, but in this case, it's true.

The reference is to the current craze sweeping the country (sort of) over remapping congressional districts.

Democrats in Texas have literally fled the state - camping out in Democratic-run Illinois - to prevent Republicans from changing the make-up of state congressional districts to their benefit. Their absence prevents a quorum from being present.

Texas is not alone. Other Republican-run states like Indiana, Florida and South Carolina are threatening to do the same. South Carolina has merely one Democratic House member, but that apparently is too many for some.

So prompted, Democratic-run states such as California and New York are contemplating doing likewise.

More may follow - on both sides.

Normally, congressional redistricting is done immediately after the Census; that was in 2021. And the districts remapped would last until the 2030 Census.

Note the term "normally."  These days nothing is normal.

Fearing that the 2026 midterm election may give control of the House to Democrats, Republicans want to prevent that by changing the rules. That means doing redistricting now, as opposed to 2031.

That has the aforementioned Democratic states maybe doing the same. Call it playing defense.

The states cited apparently can do this, because redistricting is done by the state legislatures.

Which brings us to New Jersey.

Notwithstanding its reputation for political chicanery, New Jersey does redistricting more or less the right way.

A 13-member bipartisan body is appointed, which holds public meetings and public hearings around the state.

Sure, the tie-breaking 13th person tends to be a partisan, but this system is still preferable to the legislative majority simply remapping districts on a whim.

That would make it hard for New Jersey Democrats to try ro remap districts now to increase Democratic representation in the House.

The scorecard now reads 9 Democratic House members and 3 Republicans.

Theoretically, can that be changed?

One obvious change would be returning to the old boundaries of CD-7 - the way the district was when Tom Malinowski won it in 2018 and 2020.

Democrats actually made CD-7 more Republican-leaning by increasing Democratic strength in CD-5 (Josh Gottheimer) and CD-11 (Mikie Sherrill). In retrospect, they probably didn't need any help.

That change could give Dems another seat, making their advantage 10-2.

It's worth noting why this is even being discussed and written about.

The principles of basic democracy - things such as fairness and equal representation - no longer matter.

It sounds pretty foolish now, but some have talked about using computer programs to create congressional districts.

But now, we are regressing backwards - to a time when all that matters is political advantage at any cost.

Hard to see how you put the "toothpaste back into the tube."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called it a "war."

The verbiage may be a bit over the top, but her sentiment is genuine.

The GOP's intent is to alter the congressional map simply to get more seats in the House.

Democrats have no choice but to do the same.

In a way, it's a shame New Jersey may not be playing in this game.