Overview

• California’s legislature approved, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed, a package placing Democratic-drawn congressional maps on a November 4 special-election ballot to temporarily override the state’s independent commission.
• The Texas House passed a Trump-backed Republican map 88–52 on party lines; the Senate is set to reconvene Friday for a final vote before the measure goes to Governor Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it.
• Democrats and civil-rights groups say the Texas plan unlawfully dilutes Hispanic and Black voting power and are preparing Voting Rights Act challenges, while California Republicans have sued and are organizing to defeat the ballot measure.
• Texas Republicans say their map would convert three deep-blue districts to deep-red and tilt two South Texas Democratic seats toward the GOP, while California’s proposal is designed to create up to five additional Democratic-leaning districts.
• The showdown followed a 15-day walkout by Texas House Democrats and is spurring similar mid-decade redistricting pushes in states such as Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and Florida, with Democrats exploring options in states constrained by commission rules and constitutional limits.