California voters weigh Prop 50 redistricting measure
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CHICO, California – Voting began this week for a statewide special election that would drastically change California’s congressional map. Proposition 50, or Proposition 50, could add five more Democrat-held seats to Congress for the 2026 midterm elections.
The measure asks California voters to temporarily allow the legislature to decide the state’s district maps through 2030; After that date, authority will revert to the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission. If Proposition 50 wins, there could be just four Republican-held seats statewide after 2026.
Recent polls indicate that Proposition 50 will likely pass. Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats say Prop 50 is a necessary countermeasure to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas.
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Entrance to California State University at Chico. (Amalia Roy)
But UC Davis Professor Jim Adams warned that a short-term win for Democrats could have negative long-term consequences.
“Even if Proposition 50 helps Democrats win a handful of additional seats in California, by winning the battle in California they can ensure that Democrats lose the battle nationally,” Adams told Fox.
Adams, a Democrat, said he agrees with Prop 50 supporters that Republicans want to see something done to thwart redistricting efforts in other parts of the country.
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“There’s certainly a visceral satisfaction for Democrats in the sense that Proposition 50 has helped them fight back. I don’t question that Democrats should fight back. The question is, are they fighting Proposition 50 intelligently?” he added.
Proposition 50 has the potential to trigger political backlash not just among California Republicans or independents in 2026, but nationally during the 2028 presidential election.
If Proposition 50 passes, California’s northern counties would risk turning from mostly red to completely blue after the midterms.
Downtown Chico, California. (Amalia Roy)
Chico, California, is located in the Republican-held 1st District represented by Rep. Doug LaMalfa. It is one of the regions targeted in Proposition 50. The proposed map would likely flip the district by drawing voters to the more Democratic-leaning Bay Area.
In 2024, President Donald Trump won Butte County by nearly 3,000 votes over then-Vice President Kamala Harris. On the streets of downtown Chico, this political divide was evident when voters were asked about their feelings on Proposition 50.
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Don Tarman and Martin Bettencourt said they supported the proposal, adding that it was a reaction to Trump’s presidency.
“We agree with Gavin Newsom that Trump is trying to influence the House election. He supposedly got five votes in Texas. We’ll see what the votes are like when we get to the election. But yeah, we’re not fans of Trump. I think Gavin Newsom is trying to fight back a little bit,” Tarman said.
Bettencourt said he generally doesn’t support redistricting, but this is “a different time.”
“I don’t like redistricting. I think it treats voters badly. I think they’re taking away power because they’re changing it and adjusting it,” he said. “I think we’re in a slightly different time, so we’re reacting from the top, which is the president, and until we see someone stronger, we have to do what we have to do to make up for it.”
A ballot box standing outside the Butte County Library, Chico branch. (Amalia Roy)
Jim Henderson and Eleanor Engelbrecht are among those who disagree with this proposal; Both say redistricting in California is not an ideal response to the effort in Texas.
“When we say they did it in Iowa, are we going to have to make Oregon do the same thing and the next thing you know, everything is gerrymandered? It’s unfortunate that the governor of Texas didn’t realize that this was not an appropriate way to deal with the election, but he made up his mind and I don’t think we should feel obligated to do it, if you’re going to do it, we’re going to do it,” Henderson said.
Engelbrecht said the country had gone through enough change that things should now “settle down”.
“We’re already going through so much change right now, and I don’t think this is the time to really dust and clean up, I don’t know. I really think we need to let things settle. Where our country is right now, there’s already so much division, and I think it’s really about advocating for fair elections,” he said.
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If Proposition 50 is passed, there will likely be a legal battle. California Republicans are already filing a lawsuit against the measure.
