California to redraw election maps to counter Texas changes pushed by Trump
Governor Newsom and other Democrats are pushing back against what they say is a bid by the US president to rig next year’s midterms
California unveiled plans to redraw its electoral districts on Thursday, as Democrats push back on what they say is Donald Trump’s effort to rig next year’s Congressional elections to safeguard his slim Republican majority.
Governor Gavin Newsom said he would ask voters to approve new maps that would effectively neutralise changes Texas is planning that are expected to give Republicans more seats in the House of Representatives.
“Today is Liberation Day in the State of California,” Newsom told supporters at the Democracy Centre in Los Angeles.
“Donald Trump, you have poked the bear, and we will punch back,” he said, a reference to the animal that symbolises the 39-million-strong state.
The move came after weeks of maneuvering in Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott – acting at Trump’s behest – is trying to redraw electoral districts to benefit his Republican Party, a process known as gerrymandering.
Districts are usually redrawn every ten years after the national census and are supposed to be based on its findings, so that districts accurately represent the people who live there.