On November 4th, a special election will be held in California for the redistricting referendum in the 50th district, known as Prop 50 or Measure 50. The election is being propelled by the Democratic Party-dominated California legislature and is expected to cost nearly $300 million of taxpayer funds. As the voting day approaches, important deadlines have been announced on the official website of the California Secretary of State.
Firstly, U.S. citizens who are not yet registered voters must register 15 days before election day. This means that the voter registration deadline for the special election on November 4, 2025, will be on October 20th. Registered voters who have changed their address or signature must promptly update their information with the election office.
If the voter misses the registration deadline, they will need to go to the county election office for Same-Day Voter Registration, also known as conditional voting. However, these votes will only be counted after election office staff verifies the voter’s identity.
On Monday, October 6th, election officials in all California counties must start mailing out mail-in ballots to registered voters;
On Tuesday, October 7th, ballot drop-off locations will be open, allowing people who have received mail-in ballots to start voting;
On Saturday, October 25th, all counties covered under the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) in California will open voting centers for early in-person voting;
On Tuesday, November 4th, election day, all voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.;
On Friday, December 12th, the Secretary of State will announce the final official election results.
The California Secretary of State’s website states that all active registered voters in California will receive mail-in ballots for this special election. Voters using mail-in ballots must send them back to the election office by election day, November 4th, or earlier (must be postmarked by the post office) and received by November 12th.
Voters who do not wish to use mail-in ballots can wait until all voting stations open on October 25th to vote in person.
This year is not a regular election year in California, so the November 4th election is an ad hoc special election focused on the redistricting Measure 50 in the 50th district. The measure, driven by Governor Newsom and other Democratic lawmakers in the state legislature, aims to increase the number of Democratic representatives in Congress.
Due to the impromptu nature of this special election pushed by the state legislature, each of California’s 58 counties is expected to spend millions of taxpayer dollars, totaling nearly $300 million. Additionally, due to errors in the official voter guide issued by the Secretary of State regarding congressional district information, additional millions of dollars will be spent on corrections.
Many California voters have already begun receiving sample ballots, but according to numerous online posts, voters have expressed concerns about misleading language on the ballots.
The English version of the ballot language written by the Democratic Party states: The Measure 50 aims to authorize temporary modifications to congressional district maps in response to Texas’ partisan redistricting; establish policies supporting a non-partisan redistricting commission nationwide, among others. However, some voters have pointed out online that the truth is the opposite – the Measure aims to abolish the non-partisan independent commission’s district maps.
In 2008, California voters approved a constitutional amendment through a public vote, transferring redistricting powers to the politically neutral “California Citizens Redistricting Commission.” As per the state law amendment passed by voter referendum, the California legislative body and the governor no longer have the authority to participate in redistricting.
The Measure 50 aims to suspend district maps devised by the independent commission and replace them with maps redrawn by Democrats, redistributing congressional districts for the benefit of Democratic candidates.
As the election day nears, many public figures have also expressed their views. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently publicly urged voters to reject Measure 50. He stated that the redistricting agenda would erode democratic principles, enabling politicians to “deprive people of their rights.”