California’s Proposition 50, regarding the redrawing of the 50th district, has entered its final voting phase. On November 4th, Tuesday, voters have been steadily heading to polling stations to cast their votes. According to statistics from the Secretary of State’s office, as of Monday, over 7 million voters have already voted.
Tuesday marked the first state and local elections since President Trump returned to the White House. Elections such as the redrawing of congressional districts in California, the mayoral race in New York City, and key gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia have garnered nationwide attention.
Proposition 50 in California is a constitutional amendment seen as having a significant impact on the future makeup of Congress. If passed, it would increase the influence of the Democratic Party in the U.S. House of Representatives, potentially flipping up to five Republican-held seats to Democratic control.
However, this proposition has faced significant scrutiny. Democratic Hispanic voter Garcia, who cast a vote against it at a polling station on Tuesday, expressed concerns about single-party dominance in a state already known as a Democratic stronghold. Garcia emphasized the importance of diverse voices and highlighted the nonpartisan nature of redistricting committees.
California voters have shown exceptional interest in this unique election. According to the Secretary of State’s office, out of approximately 23 million registered voters in California, over 7.2 million (30.2%) have already voted through mail-in ballots or early voting methods, with 99.01% of mail-in ballots being accepted as valid.
The highest number of early voters are located in Southern California. Los Angeles County leads with over 1.3 million voters using mail-in ballots and around 146,000 voting at early polling stations.
Following closely is San Diego County, where nearly 740,000 voters have cast their votes early; Orange County has seen close to 670,000 voters participate, with approximately 627,000 using mail-in ballots.
In Northern California’s Bay Area, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, and Sacramento County have a combined total of 1.26 million early voters.
Preliminary election results are expected to be announced gradually after 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
Proposition 50, led by California Governor Newsom and other Democratic members of the state legislature, aims to suspend the current district maps established by the nonpartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission and replace them with new maps drawn by Democrats, potentially benefiting Democratic candidates.
Voters choosing “Yes” would allow the state legislature to redraw districts from 2026 to 2030, removing the power of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission and the existing district map.
Voters opting for “No” would oppose changing state law, maintaining the district maps revised by the commission in 2021 until the next census in 2030.
Due to the state legislature’s last-minute push for this special election, 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 information guide issued by the Secretary of State concerning congressional districts, additional costs of millions are needed for corrections.
Independent voter Omar Rivera expressed his views, stating that while some of his friends support the proposition to balance power in the House of Representatives, he is concerned about potential power abuses in California. Rivera emphasized the importance of keeping districting decisions in the hands of the nonpartisan commission.
For Rivera, the priority for most people is maintaining livelihoods, making everyday life issues more crucial.
California’s redistricting efforts also respond to Texas’ new redistricting plan passed in August. Voter Joanne Thorpe from Los Angeles County believed that just because other states are taking certain actions doesn’t make it automatically right. She stressed the importance of maintaining the independence of districting decisions, emphasizing that such decisions should not be left to politicians.
Thorpe hopes that districting will remain in the hands of nonpartisan committees to ensure the basic rights of every voter and uphold fairness for all.