California votes on ballot initiative to reshape congressional districts

It is Election Day in California, the place a poll initiative may have a huge effect on the struggle for almost all within the U.S. Home of Representatives subsequent 12 months, whether or not or not it passes.

California voters are deciding whether or not to approve a poll proposal that will dramatically reshape the state’s congressional districts, placing the left-leaning state on the middle of the high-stakes political struggle over redistricting that pits President Donald Trump and the Republican Social gathering towards Democrats.

California state lawmakers this summer season authorised a particular proposal on the November poll to hunt voter approval to quickly sideline the state’s nonpartisan redistricting fee and return the ability to return congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated Legislature. Early voting by mail within the contest has been happening for a month.

The hassle in California, which might create 5 further Democratic-leaning congressional districts, is geared toward countering the passage within the reliably pink state of Texas of a brand new map that goals to create as much as 5 right-leaning seats within the Home of Representatives. Failure to go what is named Proposition 50 can be a painful setback for Democrats.

OBAMA ENDORSES NEWSOM CALIFORNIA REDISTRIBUTION PROP 50

California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced a plan for a particular election on August 14, 2025 in Los Angeles to hunt voter approval for a brand new congressional map. (AP)

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Two-term Governor Gavin Newsom, seen as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential nominee, is main the trouble to go the proposal.

“If we lose right here, we may have full Republican management of the Home of Representatives, the Senate and the White Home for not less than two extra years,” Newsom pressured in a current fundraising attraction for supporters. “If we win right here, we will keep watch over Trump for his final two years.”

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Trump and Republicans’ push for a uncommon mid-decade redistricting is a part of a broad effort by the Republican Social gathering to strengthen its razor-thin majority within the Home of Representatives to keep up management of the chamber in the course of the 2026 midterm elections, when the occasion in energy historically faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump and his political staff need to keep away from what occurred throughout his first time period within the White Home, when Democrats regained the bulk within the Home of Representatives within the 2018 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump speaks within the Oval Workplace of the White Home on October 6, 2025 in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photographs)

Missouri joined Texas final month because the second Republican Social gathering-controlled state to approve congressional redistricting forward of subsequent 12 months’s elections. The brand new map in Missouri will doubtless give the Republican Social gathering a brand new right-leaning seat.

And North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature has additionally adopted a brand new map, which can doubtless create a brand new congressional seat for the Republican Social gathering. Republican-controlled Indiana is on deck, with a particular legislative session starting this week.

However in contrast to these states, California voters will need to have their say earlier than returning redistricting energy to the legislature in Sacramento.

“Heaven assist us if we lose,” Newsom mentioned throughout a fundraising pitch. “That is an all-hands-on-deck second for Democrats.”

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Proponents and opponents of Proposition 50 raised lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in fundraising, with a lot of the cash spent to fund a flood of promoting on each side.

One of many two foremost teams opposing Newsom and Democrats labeled their efforts as “Cease Sacramento’s energy seize.”

Coming into the fray was former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s final Republican governor.

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is opposing Democrats’ resolution to droop the state’s nonpartisan redistricting panel. (Tristar Media/WireImage)

Throughout his time period as governor, Schwarzenegger performed a key position within the passage of constitutional amendments in California in 2008 and 2010, which took the ability to attract the state’s legislative and congressional districts away from politicians and positioned it within the fingers of an impartial fee.

Voters in Northern California are weighing in on Prop 50’s redistricting battle

“That is what they need to do: set us again – that is why it is necessary that you just vote no on Prop 50,” Schwarzenegger mentioned in an advert towards Proposition 50. “Democracy – we have now to guard it, and we have now to begin combating for it.”

However as Election Day approached in California, the Sure forces had dramatically outpaced the No forces, and polls confirmed a majority supporting the proposal.

Even earlier than Trump started his redistricting drive, Ohio was below court docket order to redraw its maps. That would give Republicans a lift in a former battleground state that’s now leaning to the fitting.

Republicans in GOP-dominated Florida are additionally contemplating congressional redistricting. And Democrats in closely blue Maryland are contemplating redistricting, whereas the Democratic-controlled legislature in Virginia is already pushing for redistricting.

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Different states contemplating altering their maps embody Democratic-dominated Illinois and pink states Kansas and Nebraska.

In the meantime, Democrats might probably acquire a seat in Republican-dominated Utah because of a brand new, extra aggressive map ordered by a decide.