Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to place a mid-decade congressional redistricting measure on the November 4 ballot to counter Republican-led efforts in states like Texas.

Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Republican lawmakers in Texas are pushing a mid-decade redistricting plan that would redraw the state’s congressional map to give the GOP an additional five seats in the US House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 midterms. They argue the move is justified due to recent population shifts and say it would reflect the state’s strong Republican lean, claiming the current map underrepresents their voter base. However, Democrats say the plan is a blatant attempt to rig future elections, warning it could tilt control of the House even before voters head to the polls. In protest, Texas Democratic state legislators fled the state to deny the GOP the quorum needed to pass the redistricting bill, temporarily halting the process and drawing national attention to what they call a “systematic assault on democracy.”

What’s going on now: While speaking at an event yesterday, Governor Newsom announced that California would move forward with a plan to place proposed new congressional maps on the ballot in a November 4 special election, a move he described as a direct counter to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas and other states. “We’re doing this in reaction to a president of the United States that called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said, ‘Find me five seats,'”Newsom said, accusing former President Donald Trump of trying to manipulate election outcomes. He noted that this redistricting plan would only move forward if states like Texas and Florida actually implement their mid-cycle maps. Newsom said the measure would be a temporary but necessary step, allowing voters to approve mid-decade redistricting for 2026, 2028, and 2030. He argued this strategy was a form of “meeting fire with fire.“

California Republican lawmakers quickly condemned the proposal, accusing Newsom of undermining the state’s independent redistricting commission for political gain. “Californians demand and deserve transparency from their government. Governor Newsom’s sinister redistricting scheme is the opposite,” said Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo, who argued that the process lacks sufficient public input. Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones went further, saying, “Californians didn’t elect Newsom to play gerrymandering games to boost his presidential campaign,” and accused him of using the legislature to “violate the California Constitution.”

Despite the backlash, Newsom expressed confidence that the legislature would pass the necessary bills to initiate the special election, stating that he had to do this because “it is a five-alarm fire for democracy in the United States of America.”