California state lawmakers have commenced action on redrawn political maps aimed at giving Democrats five more seats in the US Congress, countering the partisan advantage President Donald Trump hopes to gain from a Republican redistricting plan in Texas .

California Democrats, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, are pushing for fast-track passage of their redistricting effort in the Sacramento statehouse by Friday, just in time to place it on the ballot for a special election on November 4.

Newsom, who enjoys a Democratic super-majority in both houses of the state legislature, ultimately seeks voter support for his plan. If it succeeds, it would neutralise a Trump-backed Texas bill designed to flip five Democratic seats to Republican control in the US House of Representatives.

Republicans,

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