Redistricting Reform Act of 2025

Purpose & Problem

Is the problem real and worth federal action?

The bill requires states to use independent commissions to draw U.S. House district maps, and bans states from redrawing those maps between each ten-year census count.

Scope & Related Provisions

Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?

The bill stays focused on congressional district drawing. It also requires a GAO diversity report on commission members, which is a direct check on a core bill requirement.

Who Is Affected

Who benefits, and who bears the cost?

State voters and residents may submit maps and comments during the process. States, state legislatures, and the Election Assistance Commission take on new setup and oversight duties. Single-district states receive no federal payment.

Cost & Funding

Is it affordable and responsibly funded?

The bill authorizes federal payments to qualifying states: each state receives $150,000 multiplied by its number of House seats, paid through the Election Assistance Commission. Congress must still appropriate those funds separately before payments can be made.

Risks & Implementation

What could go wrong in practice?

Each state must build or name a nonpartisan agency, form a select committee, screen applicants, and meet several firm deadlines. If a state's candidate pool is rejected three times, a federal court takes over the map-drawing process.

TITLE I--REQUIREMENTS FOR CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING

This title requires states to use independent commissions to draw congressional district maps instead of letting state legislatures do it. It bans states from redrawing maps between the ten-year census cycles unless a court orders it. It also sets rules that maps must follow, including equal population, protecting voting rights, keeping communities together, and not favoring either political party.

TITLE II--INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS

This title requires each state to set up a 15-member independent redistricting commission to draw congressional district maps. Members are chosen through a structured process using a nonpartisan agency and a pool of qualified applicants divided into majority party, minority party, and independent categories. The commission must hold public hearings, publish draft and final maps online, and get approval from the Department of Justice before a plan takes effect.

TITLE III--ROLE OF COURTS IN DEVELOPMENT OF REDISTRICTING PLANS

This title sets deadlines for states to pass new congressional district maps after a census, requiring completion by February 15 of an election year or 90 days before a primary. If a state misses the deadline, any citizen can ask a federal court to step in and draw the maps instead, following public hearings and the same rules the state would have used. Courts may also appoint a special master to help, publish draft maps for public comment, and issue temporary maps if needed before an election.

TITLE IV--ADMINISTRATIVE AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

This title sets up funding and enforcement rules for the redistricting reforms in the bill. The Election Assistance Commission will pay each qualifying state $150,000 per congressional representative to help set up and run independent redistricting commissions, but only after states meet certain requirements. It also allows the Attorney General and individual citizens to sue in federal court if a state breaks the rules, sets up a process for courts to create replacement district maps, and clarifies that the law takes effect starting with redistricting after the 2030 census.