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19h ago

California’s Prop 50 Battle Grows as Democrats Push U.S. Ban on Mid‑Decade Redistricting

Early polling shows a slim lead for the ballot measure, signaling momentum heading into the DNC’s new bilingual push.

Opponents of California Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, a California ballot measure that would redraw congressional maps to benefit Democrats, rally in Westminster, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
California Senate Republican leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, speaks against a package of measures to redraw the state's congressional districts during a news conference in Sacramento on Aug. 21, 2025.
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, expresses his opposition to Proposition 50, a California ballot measure to redraw U.S. House maps to boost Democrats, during a conversation with University of Southern California interim president Beong-Soo Kim, not shown, on democracy at the USC campus in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Overview

  • Voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to suspend California’s independent commission and adopt legislator‑drawn congressional maps for 2026–2030.
  • Backers say the plan could flip roughly five GOP‑held U.S. House seats, positioning Democrats to offset gains from Texas’s new map urged by President Trump.
  • The DNC announced a bilingual outreach drive of roughly 41,000 volunteers targeting Latino voters to boost support for Proposition 50.
  • Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced the Redistricting Reform Act of 2025 to bar mid‑cycle redraws nationwide and require independent commissions, with GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley promoting a similar stalled House bill.
  • An Emerson College survey Sept. 15–16 found 51% of registered voters favor the measure and 34% oppose it, as lawsuits target new maps in Texas, Missouri and other states.