Overview

• Texas’s special legislative session remains ongoing with no new congressional maps released and expected Voting Rights Act lawsuits challenging the off-cycle effort
• New York lawmakers introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting only after another state acts first and only after two consecutive legislative approvals and a voter referendum
• California Governor Gavin Newsom is exploring special-election and constitutional-amendment paths to temporarily bypass his state’s independent redistricting commission if Texas finalizes new GOP-friendly boundaries
• Both New York and California rely on voter-established independent commissions to draw maps, making any legislative override complex and legally precarious
• Civil-rights advocates warn that mid-decade redraws could undermine minority representation and spark a national tit-for-tat over control of the U.S. House