The Florida state legislature on Wednesday approved a redistricting map that could allow the Republican Party to gain four additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the midterm elections this November.

According to the Associated Press and other media, the state House of Representatives passed the redistricting plan submitted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by a vote of 83 in favor and 23 against during a special session held that day.

The state Senate also approved the measure with 21 votes in favor and 17 against.

Governor DeSantis, a Republican, had previously unveiled the new redistricting plan on the 27th.

This redistricting plan adjusts some existing seats held by Democrats to favor Republicans. New districts were drawn by splitting large metropolitan areas with strong Democratic support, such as Orlando and Tampa, and dispersing them into neighboring Republican-leaning districts.

American media reports suggest that the total of 28 U.S. House seats allocated to Florida could shift from the current "20 Republican, 8 Democrat" split to "24 Republican, 4 Democrat" following the November midterm elections, based on the new redistricting plan.

The approval of Florida's redistricting plan is expected to be the culmination of the intense "gerrymandering" war between the Republican and Democratic parties in the lead-up to the midterm elections. Gerrymandering refers to the act of artificially redrawing electoral districts to favor a particular party or politician.

Previously, in Texas, a Republican stronghold, the redistricting in the past year allowed Republicans to gain up to five additional seats, prompting Democrats in California, a Democratic stronghold, to redraw districts to gain five seats.

Most recently, on the 21st, a referendum was passed in Virginia to allow Democrats to gain up to four additional seats. The Republican push for the redistricting plan in Florida was largely aimed at counterbalancing this.

However, given that the ruling party historically tends to lose seats in midterm elections, and the approval ratings for President Donald Trump have been steadily declining due to rising living costs caused by the war in Ukraine, many analyses suggest that the newly adjusted districts may not automatically guarantee Republican victories.

Furthermore, the Democratic Party has labeled Florida's redistricting as "blatantly illegal racial gerrymandering," and legal challenges are anticipated.