Redistricting in California ahead of the 2026 elections
Redistricting is the process of enacting new district boundaries for elected offices, particularly for offices in the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures. This article covers redistricting activity in California after the 2024 elections and before the 2026 elections.
Voters approved California Proposition 50 on November 4, 2025, authorizing the state to use a new congressional map from Assembly Bill 604 (AB 604) for the 2026 elections.[1] After Texas Republicans launched their mid-decade congressional redistricting effort, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) posted on X on July 15, 2025, "two can play that game."[2] On August 21, 2025, the California Legislature passed a redistricting plan setting a special election for a constitutional amendment to redraw the state's congressional district boundaries through 2030.[3] Heading into the redistricting effort, Democrats represented 43 of California's 52 Congressional districts, and Republicans represented nine. Click here to read more about mid-decade redistricting nationwide ahead of the 2026 elections.
This article documents the redistricting effort in California ahead of the 2026 elections. To read about redistricting in California after the 2020 census, click here.
- California redistrictingCalifornia 's 2025 congressional redistricting
- Court challengesLitigation over the redrawn map
- National contextRedistricting in other states ahead of the 2026 elections
Redistricting in California ahead of the 2026 elections
After Texas Republicans launched their congressional redistricting effort, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) tweeted on July 15, 2025, "two can play that game."[2] In August 2025, California began taking official action toward congressional redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections. Redistricting in California required the passage of a constitutional amendment in a November special election to permit the adoption of a replacement map through 2030. Voters approved the proposition by a 65%-35% vote on November 4, 2025.[1]
Comparison of old and new congressional map
The following maps compare the congressional district boundaries enacted after the 2020 census with those enacted in 2025 and are colored by partisan change according to 2024 presidential results.
Timeline of mid-decade redistricting in California
The timeline below tracks updates to California's redistricting efforts ahead of the 2026 elections, including map proposal and approval and major court filings. For more information about litigation over the new congressional map, click here.
- November 4, 2025
Voters approved California Proposition 50 by a 65%-35% vote, allowing a new map that would make five seats more favorable to Democrats to be used in the 2026 elections.[1]
Court challenges
- If you are aware of any relevant lawsuits that are not listed here, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
As of 2026, Ballotpedia had not tracked any lawsuits challenging enacted maps in this state.
To read about litigation over the map passed after the 2020 census, click here.
National overview
As of February 2026, six states had congressional district maps that were subject to change before the 2026 elections, and six states—California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Utah—had new congressional maps. Three states were reportedly exploring voluntary redistricting, and three states had congressional maps that were subject to change due to litigation. Before 2025, only two states had conducted voluntary mid-decade redistricting since 1970.[9]
The map below shows redistricting activity between the 2024 and 2026 elections.
The table below shows redistricting activity between the 2024 and 2026 elections as well as the pre-redistricting U.S. House delegation in each state.
| State | Reason for redistricting | Status | Method of redistricting | U.S. House delegation before redistricting | Potential result of new maps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New map enacted | |||||
| California | Voluntary redistricting | Voters approved the use of a new map on Nov. 4, 2025. | Commission | 43 D - 9 R | +5 D |
| Missouri | Voluntary redistricting | Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed new map into law on Sept. 28, 2025. | Legislature-dominant | 6 R - 2 D | +1 R |
| North Carolina | Voluntary redistricting | Legislature passed new map into law on Oct. 22, 2025 | Legislature-dominant | 10 R - 4 D | +1 R |
| Ohio | Required by law to redistrict | Redistricting commission approved a new map on Oct. 31, 2025 | Legislature-dominant | 10 R -5 D | +2 R |
| Texas | Voluntary redistricting | U.S. Supreme Court ruled the new Texas map could be used in 2026 | Legislature-dominant | 25 R -12 D with 1 vacancy | +5 R |
| Utah | Changed due to litigation | Court approved new plaintiff-submitted map | Legislature-dominant | 4 R - 0 D | +1 D |
| Net | +3 R | ||||
| New map possible | |||||
| Florida | Voluntary redistricting | Special session to occur April 2026 | Legislature-dominant | 20 R - 8 D | - |
| Georgia | Subject to change due to litigation | Litigation ongoing | Legislature-dominant | 9 R - 5 D | - |
| Louisiana | Subject to change due to litigation | Litigation ongoing | Legislature-dominant | 4 R - 2 D | - |
| Maryland | Voluntary redistricting | House approved new map | Legislature-dominant | 7 D - 1 R | - |
| New York | Subject to change due to litigation | Litigation ongoing | Hybrid | 19 D - 7 R | - |
| Virginia | Voluntary redistricting | Constitutional amendment to allow redistricting pending voter approval | Hybrid | 6 D - 5 R | - |
See also
- Redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections
- Redistricting in California
- State-by-state redistricting procedures
- Majority-minority districts
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- All About Redistricting
- Dave's Redistricting
- FiveThirtyEight, "What Redistricting Looks Like In Every State"
- National Conference of State Legislatures, "Redistricting Process"
- FairVote, "Redistricting"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Associated Press, "California voters approve new US House map to boost Democrats in 2026," November 4, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 X, "Gavin Newsom on July 15, 2025," accessed July 29, 2025
- ↑ New York Times, "California Democrats Pass Redistricting Plan to Counter Texas Republicans," August 21, 2025
- ↑ New York Times, "California Democrats Pass Redistricting Plan to Counter Texas Republicans," August 21, 2025
- ↑ CNN, "California Democrats prepare to pass their redistricting plan after Texas House approves new maps," August 21, 2025
- ↑ NPR, "California Democrats unveil their new congressional map to counter Republicans," August 15, 2025
- ↑ New York Times, "Newsom’s Latest Statewide Campaign Is About Redistricting. And Donald Trump.," August 14, 2025
- ↑ YouTube, "Governor Newsom, California leaders host Texas Democrats breaking quorum to fight GOP map-rigging," August 8, 2025
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "Redistricting between censuses has been rare in the modern era," August 28, 2025
 |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2026 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
