King, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Combat Political Redistricting Abuse

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), alongside Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), is introducing legislation to combat partisan efforts to gerrymander congressional districts ahead of the next census in 2030. The Redistricting Reform Act would prohibit states from mid-decade redistricting and would require every state to adopt a nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission (IRC), similar to the advisory commission that Maine currently uses. The legislation comes amid partisan efforts to redraw congressional districts ahead of the competitive 2026 midterm elections, particularly in Texas and California.

"Abusing the redistricting process is one of the most serious threats to democracy and our Constitution," said Senator King. "Not only does partisan and off-schedule redistricting damage and disenfranchise American citizens' fundamental right to vote, but it also contributes to rising polarization in Congress and further diminishes public faith in our political process. I'm proud to cosponsor this critical piece of legislation that will ensure the American people are accurately represented by their elected officials and hope that we can begin to discourage hyper partisan politics. Voters should choose their officials, not the other way around."

Specifically, the Redistricting Reform Act would require IRCs to have 15 commissioners, evenly divided into three groups - majority party, the minority party and unaffiliated/minor party. The composition of each commission would be representative of the state's demographic and geographic diversity, with enough members from racial, ethnic, and language minority communities to allow meaningful participation in the redistricting process.

To comply with the legislation, each state redistricting plan must:

1. Comply with the U.S. Constitution;
2. Comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and all applicable federal laws;
3. Ensure minorities receive equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect their preferred candidates; and
4. Respect communities of interest, including shared interests and representational needs based on common ethnic, racial, economic, Tribal, social, cultural, geographic, or historic identities, or arising from similar socioeconomic conditions.

Under the bill, IRCs may not unduly favor or disfavor a party on a statewide basis and cannot use political data for determining districts, except to make sure that any plan complies with the first three criteria above to ensure it does not lead to partisan political bias. The legislation also mandates that IRCs hold at least three noticed public hearings and receive a majority vote, including a vote from all three political affiliation subgroups, before enacting a plan. A three-judge court would help ensure IRCs are established by the necessary deadlines and enact their plans in line with the required deadline and public engagement opportunities. The bill also affords the U.S. Attorney General and private citizens the right to sue to remedy IRC issues that arise.

Full text of the bill is available here.

Senator King has long championed increasing civic engagement and historical literacy, especially among younger Americans. As a former member of the Senate Rules Committee, he previously introduced a bipartisan bill, the Civics Secure Democracy Act, which would make a $1 billion annual investment in civics and history at K-12 and higher education institutions across the country. He also introduced bipartisan legislation to designate a National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day to encourage school districts nationwide to help high school seniors register to vote. Most recently, he introduced bipartisan legislation to bolster civics education resources for school children across the United States.

###