Congressman Don Davis Introduces Legislation to Hit Reset on Mid-Decade Redistricting Across the Country

The bill would ensure redistricting occurs only after constitutionally required censuses, which are tallied at the beginning of each decade. However, if a court rules a state-drawn map is unconstitutional based on Voting Rights Act protections or other related violations, a mid-decade redraw is permissible if the RESET Act becomes law. Further, if a court rules that a state-drawn map is unconstitutional and draws its own congressional districts, the state legislature would have the opportunity to then pass its own map. 

 

“While families across America are struggling to get by due to costs and slow job growth, politicians are choosing power over people,” said Congressman DonDavis. “The only solution to prevent this ongoing domino-redistricting effect and power struggle between different states is to immediately hit reset. We must work to restore electoral stability to enhance trust.”

 

The Restoring Electoral Stability to Enhance Trust (RESET) Act would retroactively ban state-initiated mid-decade redistricting legislation with explicitly identified exceptions, taking effect as of 2020, therefore hitting the reset button on all state-passed legislation, including in Texas, North Carolina, and soon to be in California, along with others, since before the 2022 election cycle. 

 

In doing so, the RESET Act would erase the nationwide redistricting wars and also proactively ban, with exceptions, any future mid-decade redistricting. At the same time, the bill would ensure any mid-decade redistricting attempts through state referenda enacted before the 2026 elections would have no effect.