Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) has introduced a bill to block states from redrawing congressional maps before the 2030 census, aiming to prevent mid-decade redistricting efforts that have sparked a nationwide battle over district boundaries. The legislation, which seeks to prevent unscheduled changes to congressional lines, is a direct response to the growing tension between states like Texas and California, where both Republican and Democratic leaders have announced their intentions to redraw maps ahead of the next census.
Kiley, a vocal critic of redistricting, told Fox News Digital that such practices create chaos and destabilize representative government. He argued that constant shifting of district boundaries disrupts communities, causes representatives to lose constituents, and undermines the democratic process. ‘People elect one person as their representative, and then suddenly that person is representing an entirely different area,’ he said, emphasizing that this instability harms both parties and voters.
Meanwhile, Texas Republicans are pushing to redraw the Lone Star State’s congressional map, a move that President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed. The GOP leader has argued that such changes could give Republican lawmakers as many as five new seats in the House. In response, California Democrats have launched their own redistricting bid, with Governor Gavin Newsom signaling his intention to use the state’s Democratic supermajority to push for a special election where voters can decide on new congressional maps.
Kiley’s bill has drawn attention from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), although Johnson has yet to weigh in on the issue. Kiley said he has spoken with Johnson about the proposal and hopes that the speaker will support it, but he remains determined to push the legislation through regardless of leadership. ‘This is an issue that affects our Republican conference – and all of this is not popular among Republican members of our conference – but it’s also a matter of the House as an institution,’ he said.
California’s bid to override its independent redistricting commission has also sparked controversy, with Kiley calling Newsom’s actions an attempt to bypass voter will. ‘What Newsom is doing is unique because he is actually trying to abolish an independent commission that currently exists,’ he said, arguing that it is not only a threat to California’s democracy but also an example of a broader problem nationwide.
Despite the controversy, Kiley remains confident that his bill will pass and that a majority of House members, regardless of party, disapprove of mid-decade redistricting efforts. ‘People almost universally do not like the idea of suddenly overhauling district lines in an unscheduled mid-decade redistricting,’ he said. ‘That’s pretty universally true.’
The legislative process will face challenges, however, as Congress is currently in its annual August recess. Any action on Kiley’s bill would need to wait until early September, when lawmakers return to Washington for the next session. Until then, the redistricting battle continues to escalate, with both parties vying for control over congressional representation and the future of representative democracy.