Assembly committee approves ACA 8 to let California voters decide on one-time mid-decade congressional maps

The Assembly Elections Committee voted 5-2 on Aug. 19 to advance Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow California voters to approve temporary congressional district boundaries via a special election on Nov. 4, 2025 if another state enacts a partisan mid‑decade redistricting first.

The committee considered hours of testimony from the bill’s presenter, Assemblymember Bennett Berman, union leaders and former members of the Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC), as well as dozens of members of the public both in support and in opposition. Chair Pellerin framed the legislation as a defensive response: “We aren’t asking Californians to rubber stamp maps drawn behind closed doors,” she said, adding that the package is designed to give voters the final say.

“Known as the Election Rigging Response Act, ACA 8 would allow for the temporary use of voter‑approved congressional district boundaries contained in AB 604,” Assemblymember Berman said while presenting the measure on behalf of Speaker Rivas and other leaders. Berman and supporters said the proposal is a narrow, one‑time tool that would only take effect if another state — they repeatedly cited Texas — redraws its maps in a partisan way before the 2030 census. “First and foremost,…