Equal Ground Education Fund

Equal Ground Education Fund is a Florida-based civic-engagement and voting-rights organisation focused on expanding electoral participation, particularly among communities of colour and underrepresented voters. In 2026 the organisation became a plaintiff in the Fair Districts legal challenge to Florida's congressional map, which was drawn by Governor Ron DeSantis to produce a 24 Republican, 4 Democrat delegation out of 28 seats. The challenge argues the map violates Florida's constitutional Fair Districts amendment, which prohibits maps drawn to favour a political party or incumbent.

On 26 May 2026, Leon County Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes, a DeSantis appointee, ruled to keep the operative map in place while three state lawsuits proceed. Hawkes explicitly acknowledged the map's potential partisan intent but called it the lesser of two evils compared to Equal Protection concerns, and stated the challenge was more suited to the 2028 or 2030 cycles than the 2026 election. Equal Ground, alongside Common Cause, filed a notice of appeal immediately; the appeal was, however, too late to affect the 8 June congressional qualifying Deadline, locking the 24R-4D configuration for November.

The outcome means Florida's congressional delegation will proceed to the 2026 elections under a map that even the presiding judge conceded had potential partisan intent. Equal Ground's role in the litigation places it among the leading institutional actors in Florida redistricting challenges, and the case is likely to continue through the appeals process towards the 2028 cycle.