On Nov. 4, 2025, Californians cast ballots on Proposition 50, a one-time change to the state's U.S. House district lines that supporters frame as a response to mid-decade GOP redistricting in Texas. Backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and criticized by President Donald Trump as a “GIANT SCAM,” the measure was favored in late polling heading into Election Day.
Proposition 50 departs from the usual once-a-decade process by asking voters to authorize a new congressional map for 2026, 2028 and 2030, with the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission resuming its duties after the 2030 Census. The official voter guide describes the change as temporary and directs a return to the commission in 2031. (voterguide.sos.ca.gov)
The ballot fight is part of a broader national redistricting struggle. In Texas, Republicans and President Trump have pushed a mid-decade map they say could yield five additional GOP seats in 2026; California’s measure is pitched by Democrats as a counterweight that could add up to five seats to their column. The Associated Press reported that Democrats currently hold 43 of California’s 52 seats and that Proposition 50 could lift that number to 48, while Reuters and the Washington Post have detailed Trump’s calls for a five-seat pickup in Texas. (apnews.com)
Newsom set the Nov. 4 special election by signing Senate Bill 280 and related measures on Aug. 21, and has campaigned aggressively for passage. Former President Barack Obama also recorded an ad urging a “yes” vote. Separately, the California Democratic Party has said the measure “would negate the five Republican seats drawn by Texas,” a partisan claim the party makes in its own campaign materials. (gov.ca.gov)
Voting mechanics dominated the run-up to Election Day. Under California law, every active registered voter was mailed a ballot starting Oct. 6, and voters could return it by mail, drop box or vote center. As of Monday, Nov. 3, more than 6.3 million ballots had been returned—28% of the state’s roughly 23 million registered voters—according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of ballot-return data. (sos.ca.gov)
Trump blasted the process on Truth Social on Election Day, calling the Proposition 50 vote “unconstitutional” and “RIGGED,” and asserting that mail ballots were under “very serious legal and criminal review.” He did not specify which authorities were conducting such a review. (politico.com)
Federal oversight also drew attention. The Justice Department said it would send election monitors to polling locations in several California counties and in New Jersey to ensure compliance with federal law—an action the department has taken in past elections. (washingtonpost.com)
One controversy centered on small holes in some return envelopes in Sacramento County. Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the holes are an accessibility feature to help sight-impaired voters locate the signature area; Sacramento County officials added there are multiple ways to insert a ballot and that “there is no way to determine how a voter voted through this small hole.” Nonpartisan fact-checkers similarly concluded that while a filled bubble can sometimes be visible, a voter’s choice is not readable through the envelope. Local Republicans, including Los Angeles County GOP chair Roxanne Hoge, told voters concerned about privacy to fold the ballot differently and urged a “no” vote. (sos.ca.gov)
Republican groups also pressed turnout. The Republican Party of San Diego County, for example, publicly urged voters to stop complaining and vote, saying GOP turnout needed to be “materially better than average.” (washingtonexaminer.com)
Separately, some Republicans raised concerns about ballots reaching ineligible voters. State officials note that only active registered voters are mailed ballots and that only U.S. citizens can register to vote; eligibility and identity checks are embedded in California’s registration system. (sos.ca.gov)
If approved, the new map would be used for three election cycles before California returns to its normal post-census process. Supporters cast the move as a temporary, voter-initiated response to partisan gerrymanders elsewhere; opponents, including former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, call it a power grab that undermines the state’s voter-approved independent redistricting system. (voterguide.sos.ca.gov)