On Nov. 4, 2025, California will hold a special election for Proposition 50 (Prop 50). If passed, Prop 50 will put into place newly drawn congressional district lines as of 2026. Referred to as the “Election Rigging Response Act,” Prop 50 aims to balance out the partisan votes in the upcoming midterm elections after Texas and Florida drew new district lines at the request of the White House. Redistricting plans in all three states have been labeled as examples of gerrymandering.
Since 2008, California’s redistricting has run under the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC), where everyday California citizens are the main influence on congressional drawings. The CCRC’s main goal is to provide California with fair congressional district lines based on communities and not partisan values.
Prop 50’s maps will give the advantage to California Democrats in the midterms, splitting counties 114 times and cities 141 times. The maps are drawn with no community involvement and are solely designed to benefit the Democratic Party (DEM). However, they will only affect California until 2030, when the new census is taken and new maps – drawn by the CCRC – are put into place.
“We go to our voters and ask if they’ll allow us to set aside our constitutional amendment … in a temporary decision, in order to combat the party politics that are happening,” Doug Halter, Ventura County Councilmember of District Two, said.
On the other hand, many point out the disregard of democracy, even as a temporary measure.
“It’s against the rights of California citizens,” Interviewee A said. “It’s doing the complete opposite of democracy and only harming the voices of republican citizens.”
Most redistricting is done every ten years, after a state census. However, following the encouragement of President Donald Trump and the White House, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed new congressional maps in August. These maps have been designed to benefit the Republican Party (GOP) in the House of Representatives, possibly earning them as many as 5 seats.
“The president asking Texas to redistrict the way he did should be blatantly illegal,” Interviewee B said.
Interviewee A, while disagreeing with Prop 50, discredited Texas rulings as well, saying that “Texas’s redistricting is also unconstitutional.”
In response to the Texas redistricting, Prop 50 was born. While Texas is the main motivator, Prop 50 also cites eight other states for republican partisan sympathy within their congressional lines, under the recommendation of the White House.
The text of Prop 50 states that “the 2026 United States midterm elections are voters’ only chance to provide an essential check and balance against President Trump’s dangerous agenda.”
Halter said that Prop 50 is an attempt to “maintain balance in Congress, a balance that we currently don’t have.”
However, some believe Prop 50 will hardly make a difference when it comes to the actual votes.
“I don’t know if we’ll see much of a difference … The district gets drawn every ten years anyway,” Interviewee B said.
No matter which way the ballots lean in November, it’s important Californians walk away together. Not as “Yes” or “No” votes, but as a unified state; whatever the people of California choose affects everyone.
“Let’s work together with dignity and respect for each other,” Halter said.
