As California prepares for an unprecedented special election on November 4, the congressional balance of power is on the line.
After the Texas legislature passed a redistricting map in late August called for by President Trump and potentially adding five Republican seats in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterms, Governor Newsom is attempting to counter this move through Proposition 50, a ballot measure that could map out five more Democratic seats in California.
If passed, Prop 50 — the only statewide measure on the November 4 ballot — would create a new U.S. House map for California to be used from 2026 until 2030. After the 2030 Census, redistricting authority would return to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Dan Vicuña, Senior Policy Director for Voting and Fair Representation, Common Cause, explains Prop. 50, including why it was introduced and its long-term effects on California’s voting districts.
California amid a nationwide battle
“Redistricting is a core factor of determining if we have a fair, free, open and representative democracy,” said Darius Kemp, executive director of Common Cause California, at an American Community Media briefing. “People are just afraid of what our federal government could do, at the end of the day … and it’s important that voters pick their politicians, not politicians picking their voters.”
Regions most impacted by Prop 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, include the Los Angeles, Inland Empire, San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno and Lodi areas.
“People are frustrated that their needs are not getting met, that they’ve done the right things, they’ve voted, they’re good tax-paying citizens, and yet, every day, the cost of living gets more expensive. ICE raids are happening in communities. The National Guard gets called out for no good reason,” he added. “If people live and operate in a state of constant fear, then there will be this constant back-and-forth.”
In addition to Texas, other states where lawmakers have passed redistricting maps favoring Republicans include Missouri, North Carolina and Utah.
States taking steps to redraw congressional maps include Democrat-led Virginia and Republican-led Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio and Kansas.
States considering mid-decade redistricting include New York, Florida, Maryland, Illinois, Colorado and Nebraska.
Darius Kemp, Executive Director, Common Cause California, shares data from a poll on voters’ perspectives on redistricting.
“This is no longer one state’s game in the system. It’s a national power grab designed to make Donald Trump unaccountable to voters in a midterm election,” said Dan Vicuña, senior policy director for voting at Common Cause. “It’s a coordinated effort to silence dissent and manipulate the midterms before a single vote is cast.”
As of February 2025, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in California by nearly two-to-one.
“It really isn’t about lines on a map. It’s about whether our government remains accountable to the people, or becomes a tool of authoritarian control, mid-decade,” Vicuña continued. “Either voters remain the ultimate check on power, or politicians manipulate the rules to make themselves untouchable.”
“When voters lose their voice, entire communities lose access to fair representation on health care, education, jobs, public safety and many other crucial issues … this is a democracy stress test,” he added.
California’s turnout
“California is an incredibly diverse state, yet our voter turnout does not represent that,” said Brittany Stonesifer, voting rights and redistricting senior program manager at Common Cause California. “The California electorate is usually whiter, wealthier and older than the actual population.”
Of California’s 26.9 million eligible adults, 85% or 22.9 million are registered to vote, according to the Public Policy Institute.
Brittany Stonesifer, Voting Rights and Redistricting Senior Program Manager, California Common Cause, discusses the possibility of voter intimidation, especially for the November 4 special election for Prop. 50.
Whites comprise 36% of California’s adult population and comprise 50% of its likely voters.
Latinos comprise 38% of the adult population and 29% of likely voters; Asian Americans comprise 16% of adults and 12% of likely voters; and African Americans comprise 5% of adults and 4% of likely voters.
“Voter turnout is often lowest during off-cycle and special elections, while turnout disparities are typically greater during these elections,” Stonesifer explained. “Being heard and fairly represented starts by showing up at the ballot box.”
How to vote
To vote in California elections, voters must be U.S. citizens, California residents and not currently serving a prison sentence or found mentally incompetent to vote. Most Californians with a criminal record have the right to vote.
Updated voter registration — online, by mail, or same-day at a voting center — is required before an eligible voter can cast a ballot.
Although voters must be 18 or older on election day in California, 16 and 17 year olds can pre-register to vote through the Secretary of State.
Californians may cast their ballot in-person or by mail, postmarked by November 4.
“All voters with active registration will automatically be mailed a ballot. This ballot can be returned through USPS in the ballot envelope,” Stonesifer said. “Another way that ballot voters can return their ballot is by returning them to an official ballot drop box anywhere across the state. If preferred, voting locations will also be open in every county on November 4, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.”
“If a voter’s preferred language is not available in a particular voting location, poll workers can help the voter access the Secretary of State’s hotline, which is staffed with bilingual poll workers covering 10 languages,” she continued.
A Find Your Polling Place tool and a Where’s My Ballot? tracking tool are available online through the Secretary of State.
In-person voters in line when the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day have the right to stay in line and vote.
“Democracy works best when it’s fair and inclusive, and that means turning out to vote so that other people aren’t making your decisions for you,” said Stonesifer. “Even though our democracy is under threat and it’s not perfect, it’s an evolving experiment, and we all need to participate.”
A year-round, multilingual Election Protection Hotline is available through call and text at 866-OUR-VOTE for voters with questions about registration deadlines, absentee or mail-in ballots, early voting and or how to vote in-person.Voters can find more information about Proposition 50 at commoncause.org/vote.
