Proposition 50 Passed In California Here S What You Missed

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 27, 2025, 9:22 PM

proposition 50 passed in california here s what you missed

California voters backed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to redraw congressional districts in favor of Democrats. It was a big night for him in his rivalry with President Donald Trump. Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State. California voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Gov.

Gavin Newsom’s measure that allowed the state to redraw its congressional map in favor of Democrats, pushing back against President Donald Trump’s effort to hold onto a Republican-controlled Congress by urging redistricting in Texas. Tuesday capped off a whirlwind, hyper-partisan two-and-a-half-month campaign for one of the most expensive ballot measures in state history. Supporters poured more than $120 million into Newsom’s committee supporting the measure. Opponents raised just $44 million. Outside groups spent $27 million to try to sway the vote. In a triumphant speech, Newsom proclaimed that Prop.

50’s victory was not just a win for California, but a win for the entire country. He called on leaders in other Democratic-held states — Illinois, Virginia, Maryland and New York — to “meet the moment” and redraw their congressional districts, too. Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence.

Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now. California voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s measure that allowed the state to redraw its congressional map in favor of Democrats, pushing back against President Donald Trump’s effort to hold onto a Republican-controlled Congress by urging redistricting in Texas. Tuesday capped off a whirlwind, hyper-partisan two-and-a-half-month campaign for one of the most expensive ballot measures in state history. Supporters poured more than $120 million into Newsom’s committee supporting the measure.

Opponents raised just $44 million. Outside groups spent $27 million to try to sway the vote. In a triumphant speech, Newsom proclaimed that Prop. 50’s victory was not just a win for California, but a win for the entire country. He called on leaders in other Democratic-held states — Illinois, Virginia, Maryland and New York — to “meet the moment” and redraw their congressional districts, too. “Instead of agonizing over the state of our nation, we organized in an unprecedented way,” Newsom said.

“Tonight, I'm proud. But I'm very mindful and sober of the moment we are living in. Donald Trump does not believe in fair and free elections, period and full stop.” California Proposition 50, officially known as the Election Rigging Response Act,[4] is an amendment to the constitution of the U.S. state of California, which was passed by voters in a special election ballot on November 4, 2025. At the urging of California governor Gavin Newsom, the proposition was put on the ballot by the Democratic-controlled California State Legislature.

Approved by 64.4% of voters, the proposition redrew the state's congressional districts, replacing the ones drawn by the bipartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission during the earlier 2020 redistricting cycle. The new districts will be used for the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections through the 2030 elections.[5] Following the 2030 census, congressional redistricting authority will return to the independent commission under the... The map defined in Proposition 50 is a Democratic gerrymander claimed to intend to offset the gerrymander by Texas Republicans, both of which are part of the broader 2025–2026 United States redistricting effort. It redraws several congressional districts to incorporate larger shares of urban and suburban Democratic voters, increasing Democratic registration advantages in competitive districts and converting several Republican-leaning seats into Democratic-leaning ones.[6] Republicans have responded to... In June 2025, Republican lawmakers in Texas first proposed gerrymandering the state's congressional district lines to favor Republicans.[7] In July, Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, called a special session of the Texas Legislature... Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, first proposed that California could gerrymander its own congressional district maps to favor Democrats in an effort to offset potential gains from Texas's gerrymandering.[10] The California Citizens Redistricting...

The commission was first established in 2008 by Proposition 11 with a mandate for drawing districts for the State Legislature and the Board of Equalization. With the passage of Proposition 20, the commission's power was expanded in 2010 to also draw congressional districts. Newsom proposed that a special election be called to temporarily pause the commission and return redistricting power to the California Legislature until the end of the decade. Because both Propositions 11 and 20 were voter-approved amendments to the state constitution, any such changes to the redistricting power would also require a voter-approved constitutional amendment.[11] Residents overwhelmingly backed the redistricting measure Democrats say is critical to protecting democracy Californians overwhelmingly backed Proposition 50, the crucial redistricting measure that Democrats have said is essential to safeguarding democracy and pushing back against the Trump administration.

“We stood firm in response to Donald Trump’s recklessness, and tonight, after poking the bear, this bear roared with unprecedented turnout in a special election with an extraordinary result,” Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday... The effort was a direct attempt to counteract Texas’s partisan gerrymander, undertaken at Trump’s behest, to create several new safely Republican districts. Under Prop 50, California will halt the work of its independent redistricting commission until after 2030 and allow the legislature to redraw congressional districts to carve out five additional Democratic seats. The new map is expected to oust longtime Republican officials, and have significant effects on the 2026 midterms. California voters on Nov. 4 passed Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment that allows a redrawing of the state's congressional district boundaries, a major win for Democrats.

The measure, which was pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, permits California's Democratic state lawmakers to temporarily redraw the state's U.S. congressional districts to increase their party's chances of winning more seats in Congress. After the 2030 U.S. Census, the state will return to using a nonpartisan commission to draw their congressional district boundaries. Prop 50's passing essentially negates five new GOP-leaning congressional districts Texas created earlier this year at the urging of President Donald Trump.

Here's what to know. Yes, Proposition 50 passed in California. The measure authorizes a temporary redrawing of the state's congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. Proposition 50 passed in California on Tuesday with a decisive margin—roughly 4,971,914 “Yes” votes vs. 2,826,189 “No” votes, out of about 7,809,756 total votes counted as of the most recent tally. Some prognosticators were predicting a close contest.

But given the collapse of the “No on 50” fundraising machine, the result was not in question and was announced within seconds of the polls closing. Earlier this year, the legislature passed and the governor signed into law Assembly Bill 604. AB 604 created the Congressional Maps that will be used in the 2026, 2028, and 2030 Congressional elections in California. Democrats expect to pick up five or six seats in California to offset losses due to gerrymandering without voter approval in other states, most notably Texas. Following the 2030 census, creation of the state’s Congressional map returns to the Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC), created by voters through Proposition 11 in 2008, and later expanded by Proposition 20 in 2010. Opponents characterized Proposition 50 as a “power grab” during the campaign, arguing it undermines fairness and weakens the independent commission model.

Some opponents, spurred on by the social media accounts of the president, are baselessly claiming there was fraud committed by mail-in voting. Republicans have already filed a lawsuit to overturn the election. Current results show that Prop. 50 earned a higher percentage of the vote than Kamala Harris did against Donald Trump in 2024. Combine that with election results in Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, and it's a clear rebuke of the Trump Administration and could foreshadow similar results in 2026. Updated on: November 5, 2025 / 2:09 PM PST / CBS Sacramento

California voters have passed Proposition 50, CBS News projects, approving a measure backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats that will redraw the state's congressional districts. The measure is intended to make five Republican-held congressional districts in California more favorable to Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections in an effort to offset redistricting efforts in Texas that flipped five Democratic... "It was not just a victory tonight for the Democratic Party. It was a victory for the United States of America, for the people of this country, the principles that our Founding Fathers lived and died for," Newsom said in a press conference after the... "We're proud here in California to be a part of this narrative."

Proposition 50's passage drew swift reaction from high-profile opponents of the measure, including Republican political donor Charles Munger, Jr. See Prop. 50 vote counts and learn what the ballot measure will change. Voters in California have approved Proposition 50, a ballot proposal to adopt a new congressional map that redraws five districts to be more Democratic-leaning, ABC News projects. Championed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the ballot initiative intends to offset the effects of President Donald Trump's efforts in Texas to add five Republican-held seats to Congress as Republicans seek to maintain their control of the U.S.

House ahead of the 2026 midterm election. California and Texas are just two states that have been at the center of the contentious battle for control of the House in 2026, as more states across the country take a closer look... As a result, redistricting efforts like the one in California have drawn national attention, garnering input from figures such as former President Barack Obama, who is for Proposition 50, and former California Governor Arnold... Tens of millions of dollars have been poured into the contest from both sides of the aisle, as Newsom aims to frame the battle as a fight to save democracy from Trump and Republicans...

Proposition 50 Passed In California Here S What You Missed

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