AJR 21
Redistricting: independent redistricting commissions.
Fiscal committee
No
Current location
Pending Referral
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Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This resolution urges the U.S. Congress to propose a constitutional amendment requiring all states to use independent redistricting commissions to draw electoral district lines. Currently, California utilizes such a commission, and the resolution highlights the benefits of these commissions, including increased fairness and competitiveness in elections. The goal is to eliminate partisan gerrymandering and ensure districts accurately reflect the will of voters.
Key provisions
- Urges the U.S. Congress to propose a constitutional amendment.
- Requires all states to adopt nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions.
- Calls for bipartisan support among commission members for district maps.
- Advocates for minimum standards for commission independence, transparency, and public input.
- Seeks to prevent racial or partisan bias in map-drawing.
Who is affected
- State voters
- Congressional representatives
- State legislators
- Political parties
- The United States Congress
Notable changes
- The resolution proposes a constitutional amendment, a significant step beyond current state-level efforts.
- It emphasizes the need for independent commissions, separate from partisan political influence.
- It calls for bipartisan agreement on district maps.
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AJR21:v99#DOCUMENT
Bill Start
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Joint Resolution
No. 21
| Introduced by Assembly Members DeMaio and Gallagher (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alanis, Castillo, Chen, Davies, Dixon, Ellis, Flora, Jeff Gonzalez, Hadwick, Hoover, Lackey, Macedo, Patterson, Sanchez, Ta, Tangipa, and Wallis) |
| August 18, 2025 |
Relative to redistricting.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 21, as introduced, DeMaio. Redistricting: independent redistricting commissions.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to propose a constitutional amendment that would require all states to adopt nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions to draw congressional and legislative district lines.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NO
Bill Text
WHEREAS, The right to fair and equal representation is a cornerstone of American democracy, yet partisan gerrymandering continues to undermine this principle by allowing elected officials to manipulate district boundaries to benefit their own political ambitions and to favor one political party over another; and
WHEREAS, Numerous studies and court cases have documented how partisan gerrymandering distorts electoral outcomes, unfairly protects incumbents, suppresses voter participation, and dilutes the political power of communities, particularly communities of color; and
WHEREAS, Some states, including California, have adopted nonpartisan independent redistricting commissions composed of citizens rather than politicians, which require maps to be adopted with bipartisan support; and
WHEREAS, Nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions have produced more competitive and representative electoral maps, increased public trust, and enhanced fairness in our elections; and
WHEREAS, States without nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions remain vulnerable to extreme gerrymandering, resulting in congressional and legislative districts that do not reflect the true political will of their voters; and
WHEREAS, A constitutional amendment is necessary to ensure that fair elections can be best engendered using the nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission model for drawing lines for congressional and legislative districts; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California respectfully urges the Congress of the United States to propose and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment that would require all states to adopt nonpartisan, independent redistricting commissions to draw congressional and legislative district lines and adopt maps for congressional and legislative districts with bipartisan support of the commission members; and be it further
Resolved, That such an amendment should establish minimum standards for commission independence, transparency, public input, and protection against racial or partisan bias in map-drawing; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and the author for appropriate distribution.