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All the details in Democrats’ California gerrymander
Politico ^ | 08/15/2025 | Blake Jones and Melanie Mason

Posted on 08/15/2025 5:32:37 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

California Democrats on Friday finalized their plan to snatch five GOP House seats next year by redrawing the state’s congressional lines, according to a copy of the new House map and other documents submitted to the Legislature on behalf of the DCCC.

The new lines, which voters would need to approve in a Nov. 4 special election, adds registered Democratic voters to districts held by Republicans and frontline Democrats, while making some safe blue districts slightly more competitive. State legislators are expected next week to place the new district lines on the statewide ballot, sparking a furious campaign to override the work of the state’s independent redistricting commission for the next several election cycles.

California’s bold and risky play, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom and senior members of the state’s congressional delegation, is designed to cancel out Republicans’ bid to flip five Democratic-held House seats in Texas — a tactic urged by President Donald Trump to retain the House majority.

“We will not stand by as Republicans attempt to rig the election in their favor and choose their voters,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director Julie Merz said in a statement. “It’s increasingly clear that Republicans will do anything to protect their narrow majority because they know they can’t win on their disastrous legislative record which has raised costs and rips away health care for millions, all to give the ultra-wealthy a tax break.”

The ballot measure would take effect only if Texas Republicans follow through on their plans, and the Golden State’s independent commission would regain authority after the 2030 Census.

But opposition is already forming, including from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the politically moderate former GOP governor who championed the voter-approved commission and has vowed to “terminate” gerrymandering.

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Politics
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1 posted on 08/15/2025 5:32:37 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

They’re eliminating the commission that just drew up the lines....so i’d say the lines are void.


2 posted on 08/15/2025 5:43:46 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: MinorityRepublican

This is the perfect opportunity to catch the fetid Democrats red-handed, because they’ll pull out all the registration, ballot fraud, and electronic manipulation stops to win this one.

It’s life or death for them.


3 posted on 08/15/2025 6:02:32 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

It is like there are no federal laws governing all of this.


4 posted on 08/15/2025 6:03:21 PM PDT by Revel
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To: MinorityRepublican
All the details in Democrats’ California gerrymander

It's not quite all the details...

As I posted earlier:


There may be constitutional issues with Newsom's plans.

  1. Newsom has a new map ready to go that was commissioned by California’s Democratic leadership for Paul Mitchell to develop. This map is currently unlawful because the state Constitution requires maps to be developed by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

  2. It is unlawful to put both this new map AND the Constitutional amendment suspending the California Citizens Redistricting Commission on the same ballot. Newsom must first pass the Amendment suspending the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, and then hold another special election to vote on the new map once the group that creates it is authorized by law to do so.

    Courts would call this improperly “piggy-backing” on an unratified constitutional change if they were to appear together on the same ballot, because at the time of the special election, only maps created by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission are lawful.

  3. There must be a period where the amendment can be challenged in court and survive that challenge before it can become in force. California's proposition 8 that added language about marriage between a man and a woman was ruled unconstitutional AFTER it was passed by voters. Newsom cannot rush this amendment change along with a new map and expect it to pass without judicial challenge.

  4. The 2026 candidate calendar would make it practically impossible for Newsom to get a new redistricted map passed in time. The signature gathering process must occur between December 11, 2025 - February 4, 2026. The nomination filing period is from February 9 - March 6, 2026. Candidates must know their district boundaries before collecting signatures or filing nomination papers. Therefore, any replacement map must be certified and in effect by December 11, 2025, when candidate signature gathering begins.

  5. Under California Elections Code, a statewide special election generally requires at least 88 days’ notice between calling the election and holding it. After the election, it takes several weeks to certify it. With the special election for the constitutional amendment occurring on November 4, the most practical date for a second special election would be February 17, 2026, which is well into the primary signature gathering and filing period. Adding the time it would take to certify the election, it would be too late for the new map to be in place for the 2026 mid-term elections.

The new districts could not legally be used for the June 2, 2026 primary.


-PJ

5 posted on 08/15/2025 6:05:30 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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To: MinorityRepublican

The way these criminal creeps are going, CA could turn RED.


6 posted on 08/15/2025 6:12:31 PM PDT by Mark (DONATE ONCE every 3 months-is that a big deal?)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Wasn’t there a war fought over taxation without representation?

But then that is pure democracy in action. Where the minority has no say in the government.


7 posted on 08/15/2025 6:13:17 PM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again," )
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To: MinorityRepublican

They came up with that redistricting plan very quickly.

Almost as if it was already in existence.


8 posted on 08/15/2025 6:15:08 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: Political Junkie Too

Thanks for that great explanation of major issues and timing.


9 posted on 08/15/2025 6:17:45 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: MinorityRepublican

Time for Trump to get that new census rolling.


10 posted on 08/15/2025 6:22:35 PM PDT by eastexsteve
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To: MinorityRepublican

Funny how they disrespect the voters of California who have already voted to use an independent commission to redistrict.


11 posted on 08/15/2025 6:32:34 PM PDT by ChronicMA
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To: MinorityRepublican

I’m waiting for the news story that starts out “A federal judge . . .”


12 posted on 08/15/2025 6:37:47 PM PDT by oldbill
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To: MinorityRepublican

Ok, thanks for shooting your ball California.

Betcha Gov. DeSantis will join the fray. Florida is too deep red to have that many Dem districts.


13 posted on 08/15/2025 7:37:54 PM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: MinorityRepublican

If I had my way, the law of the land would be as follows:

In each state, each party submits their version of a map of proposed congressional districts.

The length of each boundary line for each district is determined, and the total sum of all those lengths is added up. (It would be a fundamental requirement that each proposed district would be equal in population, within reason, based on census data).

Whichever map has the *smallest* sum (which should be the least gerrymandered one) is the one that would be instituted by law for that state.

And that practice might even be expanded to let any citizen in a given state propose a redistricting map.

Of course that approach would have to be binding in all 50 states to maintain fairness nationally.


14 posted on 08/15/2025 7:52:06 PM PDT by Stosh
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To: ChronicMA
Funny how they disrespect the voters of California who have already voted to use an independent commission to redistrict.

Governor Nuisance has an uphill battle with the voters. From https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5451810-california-voters-back-independent-redistricting/:

California voters widely prefer keeping the state's independent redistricting commission, new polling shows

A Politico-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey found 36 percent of California voters support returning congressional redistricting authority to the state Legislature, compared to 64 percent who back the independent redistricting commission.

15 posted on 08/15/2025 7:59:28 PM PDT by Schatze (It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.)
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To: BenLurkin
They came up with that redistricting plan very quickly. Almost as if it was already in existence.

Exactly.

16 posted on 08/15/2025 8:09:04 PM PDT by jeannineinsd
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To: jeannineinsd

I think the value of CA going crazy with this is that it is a valuable issue to campaign on in other states that are more evenly contested. CA is too far gone, letting them pick up a handful of seats, but fighting them in the courts may yield a lot of support in NC, for example. As a voter activation and motivation issue, it may well work elsewhere in the country as CA, IL, and NY go full-on nuts.


17 posted on 08/15/2025 9:03:42 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: Political Junkie Too

As if they care about rules and the law, It’s all about power and control to the Democrat machine.


18 posted on 08/15/2025 10:26:58 PM PDT by Waverunner (Torah! Torah! Torah! my favorite IDF radio code.)
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To: FlipWilson

Massachusetts may join the fray, redistricting to increase the number of Democratic representatives at the expense of Republican reps. They have nine districts, all of which are represented in Congress by Democrats.

Oh, wait...


19 posted on 08/15/2025 10:41:09 PM PDT by 17th Miss Regt (Fascist, deplorable, and proud of it!)
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To: Waverunner
Yes, but even with all that, the Republican court challenges will push it out past the date for the primaries. The candidates have to begin canvassing the district for signatures starting December 11, so the new districts have to be in place by then.

It's just not possible, even with Democrat malfeasance if the Republicans are ready to go with court cases. Reports are that former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is already working the court challenge preparation.

-PJ

20 posted on 08/15/2025 10:47:32 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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