California voters to decide on Prop 50 in key battle over congressional redistricting
What to Know
- Prop 50 is the only question before voters in Tuesday’s California special election.
- The measure asks the state’s 23 million registered voters whether they authorize temporary changes to congressional district maps approved by state lawmakers.
- Congressional district maps are usually redrawn once a decade after each census and by an independent voter-approved redistricting commission in California.
- Prop 50 is a response led by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats to redistricting in Texas that came at the urging of President Trump in an effort to gain Republican seats in the U.S. House.
- If approved, Prop 50 could open a pathway to flip up to five of 435 U.S. House seats in favor of Democrats.
- Vote centers in California will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday for casting ballots, conditional voter registration and vote-by-mail ballot drop-off.
California voters are deciding whether to reshape congressional districts in a move by leaders in the nation’s most populous state that could flip some House seats from Republican to Democratic control.
Prop 50, named for the 50 states and the only question on ballot in the Tuesday statewide special election, was placed before the California’s 23 million registered voters as a counter to redistricting in Texas at the urging of President Trump that gives more seats to Republicans. The California measure, placed on the ballot by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature, is a yes-or-no question that asks voters whether they authorize temporary changes to congressional district maps already approved by state lawmakers.
The changes, if approved, could flip as many as five of 435 U.S. House seats in favor of Democrats.
The new congressional district maps approved by lawmakers in August would be used for the next three election cycles. After the 2030 U.S. Census, California’s independent redistricting commission would resume drawing the maps.
The next election for all U.S. House seats is 2026. Republicans have a slim 219-213 margin with three vacancies.
Voting districts are typically redrawn just once a decade after each census, but a national battle erupted over partisan gerrymandering this year in Texas when the Republican-controlled state adopted a new map in August that could flip five Democratic-leaning U.S. House seats. California responded in an effort led by Gov. Newsom. Missouri and North Carolina both adopted new maps and other states may soon follow.
California Democrats already hold 43 of the state’s 52 congressional seats. That number could jump to 48, if Prop 50 is approved and voters favor the Democratic candidates in those redrawn districts.
There are 10.3 million registered Democrats and 5.8 million registered Republicans in California, according to the Secretary of State. About 5.2 million voters were not registered with any party.
Support for the measure largely breaks along partisan lines. Newsom contributed $2.6 million of his own campaign funds and has been featured in TV ads urging a Yes vote. Another ad features former President Barack Obama calling on California’s to join the redistricting fight.
The outcome of the measure could have future political ramifications for Newsom, who has said he will consider running for the White House in 2028 after the midterm elections next year. He is in his final term as California governor before voters choose a successor in the November 2026 election.
Opponents, including former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, call Prop 50 a Democratic scheme to boost influence and circumvent the voter-approved independent redistricting commission that usually handles the redrawing of maps.
Vote centers in California will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Check here for updated results Tuesday night as they become available.