H.R. 5921 — Redistricting Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025

This section designates the Act as the “Redistricting Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025” and states Congress's finding of constitutional authority to regulate state congressional redistricting procedures under Article I, section 4 (i.e., the Elections Clause), and section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment (enforcing section 2's apportionment requirements).

This section requires the entity responsible for congressional redistricting in each state (i.e., State redistricting entity) to (1) establish and operate an internet site per section 3, (2) provide public participation opportunities in initial plan development per section 4, and (3) notify the public of proposed final plans and solicit responses per section 5. The requirements apply to subordinate entities (e.g., commissions or committees), permit additional consistent state procedures, and do not affect redistricting for state or local offices. This section amends 2 U.S.C. 2a(c)—which specifies default rules (e.g., at-large elections for additional seats) for electing Representatives until a state redistricts following apportionment—to require such redistricting in a manner consistent with the Redistricting Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025 (from "in the manner provided by the law thereof").

This section requires each State redistricting entity to establish and maintain a public internet site by August 1 of the decennial census year to promote transparency in congressional redistricting. The site must (1) provide general information on the redistricting process, applicable legal requirements, and the entity's principles or policies; (2) be updated continuously with advance notice of meetings and information on entity activities; (3) offer access to all submitted redistricting plans or maps; (4) provide no-cost access to digital files (i.e., block equivalency files, shapefiles, demographic and election data) for analyzing plans, including partisan performance and compliance with the Voting Rights Act; (5) enable public submission, viewing, and searching of comments on plans and other entity-related input; (6) offer live and archival video and transcripts of public hearings and meetings; and (7) include other statutorily required public information. The site must post public comments within 72 hours of submission; post information described in (1), (2), and (6) in any language required for election materials under section 203 of the Voting Rights Act (52 U.S.C. 10503); and preserve all plan-related information for at least 10 years after plan adoption.

This section requires the state redistricting entity to hold public hearings before and after developing proposed congressional redistricting plans in different state regions, with virtual participation options and live streaming on the entity's public website; such hearings must be sufficient in number, appropriately scheduled and noticed, and conducted to ensure meaningful input from all residents, including racial, ethnic, and language minorities protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, on redistricting criteria, plan contents, and related issues. It further directs the entity to (1) publish a proposed hearing schedule with no fewer than three hearings and allow at least 10 days for public comment on the schedule before issuing a final version, (2) beginning upon receipt of the Clerk of the House's certification of the state's number of Representatives under 2 U.S.C. 2a(b) and continuing for at least 60 days thereafter, post its redistricting criteria on the public website, and (3) within 24 hours of each hearing's conclusion, post a video recording on the website and, within five days, post a searchable transcript; and conduct outreach to communities with limited internet access or reachable primarily through non-English media.

This section requires a state redistricting entity to post specified information about a proposed final congressional redistricting plan on its public website no later than 10 days before a final adoption vote, including (1) an analysis with maps, population data by demographics, registered voters by party, recent election results, Voting Rights Act compliance, partisan fairness measures, drafters consulted, and public-input changes; (2) reasons for adoption and public-interest rationale; (3) dissenting statements; and (4) public comment instructions. The section further requires a public hearing no later than 7 days before the vote (per section 4 requirements), with video posted immediately and a searchable transcript within 48 hours; these requirements apply to amended or new plans and to subordinate entities voting on plan recommendations.

This section establishes that the Act and its amendments apply to congressional redistricting conducted after the regular decennial census of 2030. The section also applies the Act to court-ordered revisions of congressional redistricting plans pursuant to the 2020 census in states lacking an enacted final plan as of enactment, requiring (1) establishment of the required internet site as soon as practicable after enactment and (2) initiation of public input solicitation by the state redistricting entity not later than 30 days after the court order (or earlier if specified by the court).