California voters will decide Tuesday if the state should redraw congressional districts in an effort to increase the number of democrats in the U.S. Congress. This measure — called Proposition 50 — comes as a response to partisan redistricting efforts in Texas.

This partisan showdown over redistricting came after President Donald Trump led an effort encouraging Texas republicans to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats currently hold 213 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives while republicans hold 220 seats.

The proposed map in Texas would potentially secure five additional seats for republicans in the House, which would in turn aid the GOP’s larger effort to retain control of the House in 2026.

The move to redistrict Texas mid-decade is atypical and has sparked a redistricting battle in several states. Redistricting in Texas (and California) usually occurs every 10 years, with the use of U.S Census data.

Local Impact

Butte County falls into the first congressional district of California.

Local concerns are that voters may see their federal representatives focus more on broader, urban concerns rather than local issues affecting Northern California, such as agriculture, water and wildfires.

Chico and Redding would be placed into separate congressional districts despite being an hour away from each other and experiencing similar issues.

An extreme example is the City of Lodi in San Joaquin County. Under Prop 50, it potentially could be placed into 3 separate congressional districts. This has raised concerns with Lodi’s leadership about how the city would struggle to gain federal support while being stretched so thin with representation.

Proponents of Proposition 50

Prop 50 is endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and several leading democrats, among others. Supporters have framed it as a direct countermeasure against gerrymandering in Texas.

A “Yes” vote on Tuesday would authorize the use of temporary congressional maps designed to favor democrats, potentially securing five additional seats beyond the 43 currently held.

Leading up to the special election, Newsom said in an interview with CNN, “[Prop] 50 is representing an assertion that we’re back on the playing field, and we are going to fight fire with fire.”

The new maps would bypass California’s independent redistricting commission, instead allowing the state legislature to draw congressional districts for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.

Prop 50’s campaign website stated the measure aims to, “Make sure the 2026 midterm elections are conducted on a level playing field without an unfair advantage for republicans.”

Additionally, “Prop 50 provides emergency maps ONLY because republicans moved forward with their power grab.”

The California Democratic Party urges voters to act this November.

“Trump has already hurt California families with tariffs, denied wildfire aid, and ordered mass arrests without warrants,” it stated. “If we don’t act now, Trump will seize total power for two more years with no checks and balances.”

Opposition to Proposition 50

Those opposed to Prop 50 include the California Republican Party and republican megadonor Charles Munger Jr., who is the primary financial backer of the “No on 50” campaign.

Many voters who object to the proposition do so based on the principle that two wrongs don’t make a right.

“Gerrymandering is wrong no matter who’s doing it, whether it’s done by a red state or a blue state,” said Carl DeMaio, Republican assemblyman of San Diego. “Politicians manipulating the lines of their districts — it’s wrong.”

This is a sentiment echoed by State Sen. Tony Strickland, a Huntington Beach Republican who warned that a gerrymandering race to the bottom would result in a “destructive country” and “chaos” by encouraging redistricting biennially.

Arguments against Prop 50 say that the measure is a step backwards for the state by temporarily dismantling the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and replacing it with a map drawn by state legislators.

Critics also claim Prop 50 is in opposition to reforms passed by voters in 2010 that took map-drawing authority away from elected officials after the state became characterized by decades of gerrymandering.

Charles Munger Jr. also contests the claim that Prop 50 would be temporary in a recent interview.

“If this were all about Donald Trump, these maps in California would end in one election cycle,” Munger Jr. said. “You’d vote in these new districts in 2026 only, … So why are we being asked to approve maps which will last for an additional two election cycles into the next president’s term? The answer is people having seized power don’t want to give it up.”

Fiscal Impact

The current estimated fiscal impact of the 2025 California Special Election is about $282 million statewide. 

Additionally, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office said if passed, the fiscal impact of Prop 50 would be a minor, one-time expense of “up to a few million dollars” statewide to update election materials to reflect new congressional district maps.

There are five ballot boxes in Chico:

• Outside of the Bell Memorial Union
• BMU room 203
• Butte County Library
• Chico Masonic Family Center
• Department of Employment & Social Services

Polls will close at 8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday. Election results are available after 8 p.m. on the California Secretary of State election results website here. 

The official certified results of the election will be posted by Dec. 12