California Voters to Decide on Newsom’s Redistricting Plan in Special Election

California voters will decide this fall whether to approve new Democratic-drawn congressional maps after state lawmakers passed legislation Thursday calling for a special election.

The decision follows weeks of political maneuvering sparked in July, when President Donald Trump called on Texas to redraw its congressional lines to secure five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House. In response, Governor Gavin Newsom rallied Democrats in Sacramento to pursue a similar redistricting strategy.

Unlike Texas, however, California’s process requires direct voter approval. That’s because in 2008, Californians created a citizen-led independent redistricting commission, meaning only voters have the authority to change the maps.

Newsom has framed the proposal as a defensive measure, launching what he calls the “Election Rigging Response Act.” The governor signed the newly approved bills Thursday afternoon, finalizing the logistics and funding for the special election.

“The voters will decide for themselves. Never happened in U.S. history,” Newsom said. “Spare me any moral or false equivalency of what they’re doing in Texas. Rigging congressional districts to get partisan results — that’s what a gerrymander is.”

Reactions were swift from both sides of the political aisle. The group Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab called Newsom’s plan “a disgusting display of partisanship” and an “attack on California’s voter-approved independent redistricting system.” Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee praised the move, saying it puts the decision directly in the hands of voters, unlike what it described as “the Republicans’ shameless scheme in Texas.”

The special election is set for later this year, where Californians will ultimately decide whether to adopt the new congressional maps through 2030.

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