California voters will decide Proposition 50 in a statewide special election on November 4, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that would temporarily replace the state’s independent congressional map. The measure has sparked new claims about mail‑in ballot privacy; state election officials say the envelopes are secure and include accessibility features.
California’s Proposition 50 will appear on the November 4, 2025 statewide special election ballot. The measure would temporarily supersede the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s congressional map and require the state to use a Legislature‑drawn map for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 U.S. House elections, before the commission redraws lines after the 2030 census, according to state and local election materials. (sos.ca.gov)
Supporters and critics agree the stakes are national: Democrats currently hold 43 of California’s 52 U.S. House seats, while Republicans hold nine. Separately, the most recent statewide registration report shows Republicans make up about a quarter of registered voters. (apnews.com)
In interviews reported by the Daily Wire, Deborah Pauly—an attorney with the Lex Rex Institute in Long Beach—described Prop 50 as a “retaliatory measure” that would enable a mid‑decade partisan redraw, consolidating Democratic power and reducing competitiveness. Those characterizations reflect Pauly’s view; the ballot question itself addresses temporary use of a Legislature‑adopted congressional map. Pauly’s affiliation is listed in State Bar records at the Lex Rex Institute’s Long Beach address. (dailywire.com)
Pauly and other critics have focused more recently on ballot‑secrecy concerns involving mail‑in envelopes. The Daily Wire column asserts that on Orange County ballots with a single yes/no question, a voter’s selection can be seen through the envelope if light is shone on it, depending on how the ballot is folded; the author, Walter Myers III, says he observed this after submitting his own ballot. Those claims come from the Daily Wire’s opinion piece; Orange County’s registrar has not publicly said its return envelopes reveal voter choices, and reporting from LAist notes that Orange County’s envelopes do not include punched holes. (dailywire.com)
Separately, social posts and videos highlighted punched holes on some counties’ return envelopes—especially Sacramento County—suggesting a “no” vote on Prop 50 could be identified. State and county officials say those holes are long‑standing accessibility and processing features, not indicators of voter choice. The California Secretary of State said the holes help low‑vision voters locate the signature area and allow workers to confirm an envelope is empty. Fact‑checkers found that while a marked oval can be visible in certain folding orientations, the hole does not reveal whether a voter chose “yes” or “no,” and voters can fold the ballot so no marks show. (sos.ca.gov)
Sacramento County’s guidance likewise says there are several ways to insert a ballot; only some may show a mark through a hole, and voters can flip or fold the ballot so the blank side faces outward. The county also reiterates that tampering with ballots is illegal and that chain‑of‑custody controls are in place. (elections.saccounty.gov)
Pauly told the Daily Wire that the Lex Rex Institute is preparing to challenge certain envelopes in federal court in the Central District of California. As of publication, that filing could not be independently confirmed; the group has litigated other California election‑administration issues. (dailywire.com)
Advocates on all sides invoke the principle of ballot secrecy, which U.S. elections adopted in the late 19th century with the spread of the “Australian ballot.” Election‑administration experts note that secrecy is protected both by voting‑place procedures and by mail‑ballot design standards that voters can follow to keep marks concealed. (campaignlegal.org)