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3h ago

Congress Presses Mid‑Decade Redistricting Ban as States Race to Rewrite House Maps

Court challenges plus a California ballot test will determine which maps govern 2026.

California Senate Republican leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, speaks against a package of measures to redraw the state's congressional districts during a news conference in Sacramento on Aug. 21, 2025.
Assemblyman Tri Ta, R-Westminster, joined at the podium by state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, speaks during an Aug. 25, 2025, news conference about Republican efforts to block Prop 50, a plan to enact new Democratic-drawn congressional maps.
A U.S. Capitol Police officer walks in front of the U.S. Capitol, Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California, introduced a bill in Congress on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, that would prohibit mid-decade redistricting and require all states to adopt independent redistricting commissions. (Screenshot from livestream of press conference)

Overview

  • Sen. Alex Padilla introduced the Redistricting Reform Act to prohibit mid‑decade remaps and require nonpartisan commissions, while Rep. Kevin Kiley touted a similar House proposal and urged a floor vote.
  • Texas enacted a Republican map designed to net up to five additional seats, drawing legal challenges from Democrats and civil rights groups seeking to block it.
  • California’s Proposition 50 heads to a Nov. 4 special election to temporarily replace commission‑drawn congressional lines with Democratic maps that sunset after the 2030 Census.
  • Missouri Republicans passed a map eliminating one of the state’s two Democratic seats, with lawsuits filed and final approval still pending before Gov. Mike Kehoe.
  • Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Florida, Maryland and Illinois are weighing off‑cycle changes as Democrats assess limited counterplays, including a potential pickup in Utah if courts force a redraw.