Welcome to the Secretary of State's California Redistricting information page.
Redistricting FAQs
What is redistricting?In order to get an updated count of the country's population, the U.S. Constitution requires a federal census every ten years. California uses that census data to redraw the Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts based on population changes.
Who redraws district lines?The independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) uses the new census data to redraw the Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization district boundaries. CCRC certified final district maps and delivered them to the Secretary of State on December 27th, 2021. For more information on CCRC activities, see:wedrawthelinesca.org.
The boundaries for local districts, such as county supervisorial or city council districts, are drawn by those governing bodies and not by the CCRC. Information about the local process can be found here:https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/helpful-resources/redistricting.
What is the Secretary of State's role after receiving the new maps?The Secretary of State provided the new CCRC maps to the California State Legislature and to California's 58 counties who are redrawing precincts within the new district boundaries and assigning voters to the updated precincts.
What does redistricting mean to voters?There is some possibility that the districts for your Congressional, State Assembly, State Senate, and Board of Equalization will change, which means that your representatives in these elected offices may change after the next general election. More immediately, however, voters will be voting for candidates running for office using the new district boundaries as part of California's June 7, 2022, Primary Election.
When do the new district lines take effect? Once the new elected officials take office after the November 2022 General Election. Until then, the existing district boundaries apply and constituents are represented by the elected officials occupying those offices.
Important Dates:
- 12/27/2021– CCRC provided final certified maps to the Secretary of State
- 1/3/2022 to 2/9/2022– Candidate filing signature-in-lieu period for the June 7, 2022, Primary Election
- 2/10/2022– Last date maps can be challenged in court (45 days from date of certification)
- 2/14/2022 to 3/11/2022– Candidate filing nomination period for the June 7, 2022, Primary Election
FAQs
Who redraws district lines? The independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) uses the new census data to redraw the Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization district boundaries.
Who is in control of redistricting? ›
Apart from mid-decade redistricting initiated by state legislatures (as happened in Texas), both federal and state courts can also order the redistricting of maps between-censuses (because maps were ruled unconstitutional or against federal law, for example).
Who is on California's Citizens Redistricting Commission? ›
Membership
| Name | Party | Left |
|---|
| Jodie Filkins Webber | Republican | July 2, 2020 |
| Peter Yao | Republican | July 2, 2020 |
| Isra Ahmad | Other (Decline-To-State) | Incumbent |
| Linda Akutagawa | Other (Decline-To-State) | Incumbent |
25 more rowsEvery 10 years, after the federal census, California must redraw the boundaries of its Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts, to reflect the new population data.
Why does California have the most seats in the House? ›
California is the most populous U.S. state; as a result, it has the most representation in the United States House of Representatives, with 52 Representatives.
Who created redistricting? ›
In November 2008, California voters passed the Voters FIRST Act, authorizing the creation of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new district lines, taking the job out of the hands of the California Legislature and transferring it to the citizens.
Which states have banned gerrymandering? ›
Reform efforts
| State | Prohibition passed | First census affected |
|---|
| Delaware | 2010 | 2020 |
| Illinois | 2021 | 2030 |
| Maryland | 2010 | 2010 |
| Michigan | | |
13 more rowsBelow we will focus on three solutions to gerrymandering: using web tools to identify gerrymandered maps, establishing independent redistricting commissions (IRC) to create fair maps and advocating for the passage of federal legislation to ban gerrymandering.
How many districts are there in California? ›
California is divided into 52 Congressional districts. Each district elects a representative to serve in the United States House of Representatives as part of the California's congressional delegation. California's current districts were drawn in 2021 by a California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
How many Republicans were there on the last California Citizens Redistricting Commission? ›
It authorized the Commission to draw the new district lines. In 2010, the Congressional Voters FIRST Act added the responsibility of drawing Congressional districts to the Commission. The 14-member Commission is made up of five Republicans, five Democrats, and 4 not affiliated with either of those two parties.
For example, the voters in an urban area can be split among several districts in each of which the majority of voters are suburban, on the presumption that the two groups would vote differently, and the suburban voters would be far more likely to get their way in the elections.
How do politicians benefit from gerrymandering? ›
Rather than voters choosing their representatives, gerrymandering empowers politicians to choose their voters. This tends to occur especially when line drawing is left to legislatures and one political party controls the process, as has become increasingly common.
Why is redistricting necessary? ›
How and where districts are drawn can shape communities' ability to elect the representatives of their choice. Districts must be made as equal in population as practicable so that communities have equal access to political representation.
What does cracking a district mean? ›
Cracking: Spreading voters of one type into multiple districts where they will comprise minority blocs less likely to influence elections; like packing, it is another type of partisan gerrymandering, which critics see as a modern form of voter discrimination.
What is the redistricting process? ›
Redistricting, the process of drawing electoral district boundaries, takes place in the United States following the completion of each decennial census to account for population shifts.
Which level of government controls the redistricting process in Quizlet? ›
In most states, the state legislature has primary control of the redistricting process, both for state legislative districts and for congressional districts.
What criteria must districts meet under California redistricting rules? ›
Districts must be of equal population to comply with the US Constitution. Districts must comply with the Voting Rights Act to ensure that minorities have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be drawn contiguously, so that all parts of the district are connected to each other.
What is congressional redistricting? ›
Congressional redistricting involves creating geographic boundaries for U.S. House districts within a state.
