Prop 50: Californians vote on redistricting to counter redrawn Texas maps

Ballot measure would let legislature redraw congressional districts to carve out five more Democratic seats

Californians headed to the polls on Tuesday to decide on Proposition 50, a ballot measure of national significance that could play a major role in determining which party controls the US House of Representatives after the 2026 midterms.

If voters approve the proposal, the state will halt the work of its independent redistricting commission and allow the legislature to redraw congressional districts to carve out five additional Democratic congressional seats. The effort is a direct attempt to neutralize Texas's partisan gerrymander, undertaken at the request of Donald Trump, to create several new safe Republican districts.