Obama applauds Newsom’s California redistricting plan as ‘responsible’ as Texas GOP pushes new maps https://t.co/LrbbutIfKI
Obama Calls California’s Redistricting Proposal ‘Responsible,’ Report Says https://t.co/U1jbzKuCmJ https://t.co/BKzOwiKpy7
Obama's comments came as efforts in Texas, encouraged by President Trump, aim to strengthen GOP control ahead of next year's elections. https://t.co/f06NfBjc8q
A bipartisan coalition led by former Obama administration officials William Daley and Ray LaHood has launched “Fair Maps Illinois,” a campaign to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot that would overhaul how the state draws legislative districts. The proposal would create a 12-member commission—four lawmakers and eight non-legislators appointed by General Assembly leaders—to replace the current system in which the majority party in Springfield controls the map-making process. Commissioners would be barred from using party registration or voting-history data, and, if the panel deadlocks, an additional tiebreaking member would be chosen at random. Backers must collect at least 328,000 valid voter signatures by May 2026 and say they intend to gather roughly 600,000, a drive they estimate will cost $3 million to $4 million. Supporters frame the measure as a response to the lack of competition in nearly half of Illinois districts and to two earlier reform efforts struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2014 and 2016. The Illinois push comes amid a partisan crossfire over mid-decade redistricting in other states. Texas Republicans are advancing a map that could yield five additional GOP seats in the U.S. House, while California Governor Gavin Newsom has floated a contingent plan to realign his state’s districts if the Texas map proceeds. Former President Barack Obama called Newsom’s approach “responsible,” underscoring how the fight over gerrymandering is reverberating well before the 2030 census. Organizers of Fair Maps Illinois argue that insulating state legislative lines from direct partisan control would make elections more competitive and restore public confidence. Should the amendment reach the 2026 ballot, it would force gubernatorial and legislative candidates of both parties to declare whether they back stripping lawmakers of their decades-old power to shape their own districts.
