California will fund upfront costs for a statewide special election to decide whether new partisan congressional maps will apply to the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. Lawmakers are fast-tracking a package of bills to suspend maps drawn by the independent redistricting committee, propose new partisan congressional maps, and authorize and fund a November special election. County election officials raised concerns about unbudgeted costs and sought advance reimbursement. The state Department of Finance said it will coordinate with the secretary of state's office and county election offices to ensure funding is provided in advance so counties will not lose money.
Legislators are continuing to fast-track a package of bills this week to convene a special election in November where voters will decide whether to implement new, partisan congressional maps for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. The full legislature is expected to vote Thursday on the package, Democratic leadership has said. Led by Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats, the effort is meant to "neutralize" similar partisan redistricting moves in Republican-controlled states, including Texas.
Local elections officials had expressed concerns about the cost of holding a last-minute, statewide special election. The governor's request had called for the state to "reimburse" counties for the cost of administering a special election, and elections officials advocated for that money to be advanced. "No county budgeted for a special statewide election," Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page said in a post on LinkedIn.
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