( CNN ) -- When Democratic Gov . Ted Strickland of Ohio hits the campaign trail before Election Day , you might want to listen , because the outcome his re-election bid could have a direct impact on you -- even if you do n't live in his state . The number crunchers at Election Data Services estimate that next year , Ohio is going to lose two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives . It 's up to the Ohio state government -- including the governor -- to decide which House members will go : Democrats or Republicans . Imagine if , 10 days from now , the Republicans win control of the House , but by only a one-seat majority . Republican John Boehner becomes speaker . But if a Democrat holds the governor 's mansion in Ohio , he could insist that when his state loses two seats , both must be in districts held by Republicans . That means just through redistricting in Ohio alone , the Democrats could take back control of the House . That would affect your life , because everything from education policy to health care and taxes goes through the House , and which party is in control makes a big difference . The balance of power could hinge on who gets elected governor in states far from yours . The scenario painted above is highly unlikely -- in part because Republicans will probably retain control of the Ohio state Senate , and they would force a compromise with their governor . But there 's more to this chess game . Ohio is n't the only state that stands to lose seats , and other states will win seats . Texas , for example , is poised to gain four seats . Republicans control the legislature in Austin , and there 's a tight race for the governor 's office . Florida stands to gain two seats through redistricting . Republicans control the legislature in Tallahassee , and there 's a close contest in the gubernatorial race . New York is likely to lose one seat . Democrats control both state houses , and a Democrat is poised to win the governor 's mansion . In all , 18 states will gain or lose representation in the House of Representatives , totaling a change of 24 seats . In most states , it 's all up to the legislature , and the governor vetoes or approves the map . Some states have a different process to try to minimize political games , but that 's hard . `` If one party has complete control of the process , they will tilt the table to their favor , so their state will be more likely to elect Democrats or Republicans for entire decade , '' until redistricting begins again , explains George Mason University professor Michael McDonald , an expert on the process . Imagine another scenario : On Election Day , Democrats eke out a win and retain control of the House by five seats . But Democrats lose governors and state legislative races across the country . Once redistricting happens next year , those elected state officials could wipe out the Democrats ' majority by adding seats Republicans will control and eliminating seats Democrats are certain to control . Democrats in Congress would lose their majority because of politicians elected in a state you 've never even visited . Sound unfair ? The redistricting process is required by the U.S. Constitution to ensure that every member of the House has an equal population district . It 's the main reason we conduct a Census every 10 years , so we can rebalance districts based on where people are living . These new district lines last for 10 years , until the next census . When a state has to change even one seat , all the districts in the entire state stand to be redrawn . Remember , every district has to have population of equal size . That means the whole deck is reshuffled . There are clever ways to draw districts to ensure that one party or another is all but certain to win there . `` A long time ago , people figured out you could do more than rebalance populations so politicians can manipulate the boundaries to their favor , '' McDonald said , adding that manipulation for political gain is ingrained into our politics . `` This is what 's called gerrymandering . So the party that controls a state can tilt the balance of power in Washington , D.C. '' The origin of `` gerrymandering '' The list of states that will gain or lose seats is released in December . But Election Data Services crunched the preliminary census numbers and estimates that the following states will see changes . Texas will gain four seats , Florida will gain two , and Arizona , Georgia , Nevada , South Carolina , Utah and Washington will each gain one . Ohio and New York will lose two seats , and Illinois , Iowa , Louisiana , Massachusetts , Michigan , Missouri , New Jersey and Pennsylvania will each lose one .
Governors play a big role in the redistricting process . Theoretically , redistricting could cause a shift in the balance of power . This year , 18 states are expected to gain or lose representation in the House . When a state has to change just one seat , the districts in the state stand to be redrawn .