Overview

• Gov. Gavin Newsom officially scheduled a Nov. 4 special election for Californians to decide on mid-decade redistricting that would redraw five Republican-held congressional districts.
• The proposal requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers of the Democratic-controlled legislature to override the state’s independent redistricting commission.
• California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the ballot measure offers a legal route for mid-decade remapping because the commission is only empowered to redraw districts once every ten years.
• Newsom framed the special election as a public response to mid-decade gerrymandering efforts backed by President Trump alongside Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas.
• If approved by legislators and voters, the plan would shift California’s House delegation to 48 Democrats and 4 Republicans for the 2026, 2028, 2030 cycles.