Your last-minute guide to Proposition 50: California redistricting
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- Proposition 50 would redraw California’s congressional districts to favor Democrats.
- If voters approve it, the number of Republicans representing California in Congress could be cut roughly in half, potentially altering the national balance of power.
- Polls show about six in 10 likely voters support the proposition, though support breaks sharply along party lines and varies by region.
Still haven’t decided how you are voting on Prop. 50? Let us help.
The basics
Proposition 50 would change how California determines the boundaries of congressional districts. The measure asks voters to approve new congressional district lines designed to favor Democrats for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections, overriding the map drawn by the state’s nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission.
Impact
If voters approve Proposition 50, Golden State Democrats would see the odds tilted further in their favor, while the number of Republicans representing California in Washington, D.C., could be reduced by half.
Background
With a push from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrats in the state Legislature put Proposition 50 on California’s Nov. 4 ballot after the Texas GOP began discussing a new map that would help elect five more Republicans to Congress. The Republican Party holds the House by such a slim margin that any changes to state maps could have an effect on the balance of power in Washington.
More to read:
Proposition 50 is part of a spiraling national fight over redistricting, sparked by President Donald Trump, that could determine the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 election.
Here are some things to know about how to vote in California’s special election on Nov. 4, and where to access more information about the election.
We calculated the margin of victory between Democrats and Republicans in Newsom’s redistricting effort. Here are the results.
Taking sides
Generally speaking, Proposition 50 is marked by a partisan divide.
Some supporters say they will vote for redistricting even though they don’t like it. Instead, they blame Republicans in Texas and elsewhere for gerrymandering to help the GOP. If California didn’t respond, Republicans would get away with stacking the congressional electoral map in their favor. Prop. 50 is backed by topDemocrats nationwide, led by Newsom.
Supporters:
- President Barack Obama
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years,. With Prop. 50, you can stop Republicans in their tracks. Prop. 50 puts our elections back on a level playing field, preserves independent redistricting over the long term, and lets the people decide. Return your ballot today.”
Opponents
“They are trying to fight for democracy by getting rid of the democratic principles of California. It is insane to let that happen... They want to dismantle this independent commission. They want to get rid of it under the auspices of we have to fight Trump. It doesn’t make any sense to me because we have to fight Trump, [yet] we become Trump.”
Orange County Register: “Prop. 50 tosses aside the congressional maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in favor of maps drawn by and for the benefit of politicians. In a healthy democracy, you want voters to be the ones choosing their politicians. With Prop. 50, you have politicians choosing their voters.”
More to read
‘California, the whole nation is counting on you,’ former President Obama says in a new television ad that began airing Tuesday across the state.
Next year’s governor race took a backseat to GOP opposition to Prop. 50, the ballot measure voters will decide in a November special election that would redraw California’s congressional districts, potentially netting Democrats five additional seats and determining control of Congress.
The multimillion-dollar jousting over a redistricting push in California to counter President Trump was on full display recently, as both sides courted voters.
State of the race
Polls
Polls have shown Prop. 50 comfortable leading.
- Six in 10 likely voters support Proposition 50, according to a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times. About 38% of likely voters oppose the ballot measure.
- According to the survey, the breakdown among voters was highly partisan, with more than 9 out of 10 Democrats supporting Proposition 50 and a similar proportion of Republicans opposing it. Among voters who belong to other parties, or identify as “no party preference,” 57% favored the ballot measure, while 39% opposed it.
- In the voter-rich urban areas of Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay area, Proposition 50 led by wide margins, the poll found. Voters in Orange County, the Inland Empire and the Central Valley were pretty evenly divided.
Fundraising
Records show pro-Prop. 50 forces have raised much more money than critics.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s committee supporting the redistricting measure raised $36.8 million between Sept. 21 and Oct. 18, bringing its total to $114.3 million, as of last Thursday.
- The two main opposition groups raised a total of $8.4 million during the 28 days covered by the fundraising period, bringing their total haul to $43.7 million.
About 60% of likely voters in California support Proposition 50, Democrats’ redistricting proposal that would change the state’s congressional districts.
The Times is tracking contributions for and against the statewide special election’s ballot measure.
With the fate of President’s Trump’s right-wing agenda at stake, the California ballot measure crafted to tilt Congress to Democratic control has turned into a fight among millionaires and billionaires, a former president, a past movie-star governor and the nation’s top partisans.
Supporters of Proposition 50, California Democrats’ ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional districts, raised much more than their rivals.
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