California and Texas have fundamentally different approaches to creating congressional and legislative districts, which led to a recent and unusual mid-decade redistricting conflict. Texas allows its partisan legislature to draw maps, while California uses an independent citizens' commission.
In August 2025, Texas Republicans, at the urging of Donald Trump, passed new maps to create more Republican-leaning districts. California Democrats, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, countered with legislation to have voters approve a new, partisan map to neutralize Texas's gains.
California's redistricting law
- Independent commission: Since 2008, California has used a 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw district lines.
- Non-partisan process: The commission is composed of five Democrats, five Republicans, and four independents. The members are prohibited from considering partisan data or the residences of incumbents during the map-drawing process.
- Response to Texas (2025): In response to the Texas gerrymander, Governor Newsom signed the "Election Rigging Response Act".
- Ballot measure: This law approved a new, partisan map drawn by the Democratic-controlled legislature, which will go before voters in a November 2025 special election. If approved, it would temporarily suspend the independent commission's map until 2030 and shift multiple Republican-held seats to Democrats.
- Legal challenges: Opponents of the new map, including some members of the original redistricting commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, argue it illegally overturns the voter-approved independent process.
Texas's redistricting law
- Legislative control: In Texas, the state legislature, which has a Republican majority, is in charge of drawing congressional and legislative maps.
- Mid-decade gerrymander (2025): In the summer of 2025, Texas Republicans used their legislative power to redraw district lines, a move typically done once every 10 years after the census.
- Partisan intent: The explicitly partisan goal of the redrawing was to gain five additional Republican congressional seats. Texas Republicans justified the action by citing a 2019 Supreme Court decision that removed federal courts' power to police political gerrymandering.
- Minority opposition: Democratic lawmakers in Texas attempted to stall the redistricting by leaving the state to deny a quorum. They ultimately failed, and the map was passed.
- Court challenges: A lawsuit challenging the Texas map was filed almost immediately after its passage, though legal experts anticipate a difficult battle given recent court rulings. [4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]
Summary of key differences
| Aspect | California | Texas |
| Normal Process | Independent Citizens Commission: A multi-partisan body draws district lines. | Legislative Control: The state legislature, controlled by the majority party, draws the maps. |
| Gerrymandering Risk | Low: The commission's process is designed to be non-partisan, removing the ability of elected officials to gerrymander. | High: The party in power can redraw districts for partisan advantage. |
| Recent Conflict | Countered Texas's mid-decade gerrymander by placing a new, partisan map on the November 2025 ballot for voter approval. | Passed a mid-decade redistricting map to gain more Republican-held congressional seats. |
| Legal Standing | Historically less contested than Texas's maps due to the independent commission, but the new ballot measure faces significant legal challenges. | Maps have a history of legal challenges, but the Supreme Court has cleared the way for explicitly partisan maps. |
