Overview

• Mail ballots began arriving Oct. 6 for the Nov. 4 special election, with results posted election night and certification due by Dec. 12, according to the secretary of state.
• Proposition 50 would suspend the Citizens Redistricting Commission and use Legislature-drawn congressional lines for 2026, 2028 and 2030, a shift the Associated Press reports could net Democrats up to five seats.
• Backers including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Barack Obama say the move counters President Trump’s push for GOP gains in Texas, while the California Republican Party and Arnold Schwarzenegger oppose it as a partisan power grab.
• The fight has drawn tens of millions of dollars, including $5 million to opponents from the Congressional Leadership Fund, alongside dueling ad campaigns across major media markets.
• Democrats drafted the proposed map privately, producing unusual pairings such as Modoc County with Marin County and major changes to districts like Rep. Ken Calvert’s; a KCRA-sourced claim that a district was tailored for Senate leader Mike McGuire remains unverified.