On Thursday, California’s Democrat-majority legislature officially passed a measure to alter the state’s congressional districts, setting up a special election this fall whereby Californians can voice their opinions on mid-decade redistricting as a counteraction to a Texas Republican initiative.
The state Assembly and Senate have endorsed three parts of the “Election Rigging Response Act” legislative package. This includes a proposed constitutional amendment and two separate bills addressing the special election logistics and the map proposal. These bills now await Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) signature for enactment.
Democrats in the Golden State have been racing against the clock to get the package through by Friday in order to set up a Nov. 4 special election.
In contrast to Texas, where the GOP-led legislature and gubernatorial approval are sufficient to finalize the maps, California requires voter input on the matter.
The proposal before Californians seeks approval for a plan that could potentially grant Democrats an extra five House seats, thereby neutralizing the five projected Republican gains in Texas by bypassing the state’s independent redistricting commission until the decade concludes.
“This proposal would empower Californians to oppose and enhance accountability and scrutiny over the Trump Administration,” Newsom stated this week.
Newsom has championed the plan as a strategy to “fight fire with fire” following President Trump’s urging of Texas to secure five additional GOP seats. He also emphasized that this initiative is temporary, with plans to revert to the independent commission’s typical post-census redistricting process after the 2030 cycle.
Republicans, on the other hand, argue that the plan goes against the will of the voters, who approved the commission in 2008 and 2010. During hours of proceedings on Thursday, they also raised questions about who drew the maps and concerns about the cost of a special election.
California GOP legislators earlier this week filed suit with a petition asking the state Supreme Court to block action on the legislation, arguing that the sprint to vote on the legislation package violated the state constitution. The state court rejected that petition on Wednesday, allowing the efforts to move forward in the Legislature.
California’s plan comes after talk of new maps in Texas kicked off a national redistricting tit-for-tat in the run-up to next year’s high-stakes midterms.
Republicans hold a slim 219-212 majority in the House, and control of Congress could come down to just a few seats.
The GOP currently controls just nine of California’s 52 House slots. The Republican incumbents affected by the new map are Reps. Kevin Kiley (R), Doug LaMalfa (R), Darrell Issa (R), Ken Calvert (R) and David Valadao (R).
Redistricting has also been floated in the red states of Ohio, Florida, Indiana and Missouri and in Democratic strongholds such as Maryland and Illinois.
Meanwhile, the Texas House advanced its redistricting plan on Wednesday. Now, both Houses have to reconcile the legislation before it kicks over to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for approval.
“It’s on, Texas,” Newsom said on X Wednesday night.
