What to Know About California’s Redistricting Ballot Measure

On Nov. 4, Californians will go to the polls to vote in a referendum over whether to authorize replacing the state’s current congressional map with one designed to favor Democrats—a decision usually made by an independent commission.

The California Legislature rushed the bill forward during a special session called by Newsom after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott convened the Texas Legislature to carry out its redistricting efforts.

Critics have condemned the Californian measure as unconstitutional, pointing to a current provision in the state’s Constitution that removes districting powers from the Legislature and governor.

In a 2008 referendum, California voters approved a constitutional amendment that moved control of redistricting in the Golden State to the independent commission.

Democrats currently control 43 seats in the U.S. House delegation, and Republicans hold nine.

Under the amendment, the California Legislature and governor are largely written out of the process of redistricting.

To get around that, voters will be asked to give their consent to approve the new maps that will last only for a limited time—dubbed Proposition 50 for the 50 U.S. states.

At that point, following the 2030 census, control of the process would be returned to the Citizens Redistricting Commission, with new maps going into effect in 2032 and beyond.

The text of the ballot measure cites a goal to “neutralize” efforts by Republicans to redraw congressional maps in their party’s favor in Texas.

Three California Republicans—U.S. Reps. Kevin Kiley, Doug LaMalfa, and Ken Calvert—are particularly endangered by the map changes, as their districts are on track to be inundated by voters who backed Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

Kiley, whose seat is most at risk of being flipped under the redrawn maps, has criticized both California and Texas for their redistricting efforts.

A bill introduced by Kiley would ban mid-decade redistricting entirely.

It found that 64 percent backed the independent commission, and only 36 percent backed giving authority to state legislators. California Democrats seemed resistant to Newsom’s referendum, with 61 percent still favoring the independent commission. However, when Democratic policy influencers were polled, they were split evenly between the independent commission and state legislators.

Republicans and independent voters backed the independent commission by 66 percent and 72 percent, respectively.

However, the poll didn’t ask voters about the temporary change being proposed under Prop 50.

The text of the ballot measure emphasizes the temporary nature of the changes.

It says that the redrawn maps will “temporarily be used for every congressional election for a term of office commencing on or after the date this subdivision becomes operative and before the certification of new congressional boundary lines drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission.”

It also emphasizes that the Citizens Redistricting Commission “shall continue to adjust the boundary lines” of federal and state-level districts “in 2031, and every 10 years thereafter.”

A more recent poll by UC Berkeley IGS found more favorable signs for Democrats. It found that 48 percent of voters approve of the new map and 32 percent oppose the redistricting effort, with 20 percent undecided.

Former President Barack Obama expressed support for Newsom’s move.

“I believe that Gov. Newsom’s approach is a responsible approach. He said this is going to be responsible. We’re not going to try to completely maximize it,” he said at an Aug. 19 fundraiser on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

“We’re only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers. Otherwise, this doesn’t go into effect.”

In an interview with California Capitol journalist Eytan Wallace, state Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, a Republican from San Diego, described the push as a “corrupt, illegitimate, and illegal effort by politicians to remove citizens from [the process of] drawing the lines and [give] the power back to politicians.”

DeMaio also criticized the Republicans’ bid to increase their hold on the Texas House delegation. “Gerrymandering is wrong no matter who’s doing it, whether it’s done by a red state or a blue state,” he said.

“We want the citizens to be able to draw the lines, not the politicians.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s main campaign arm, also accused Newsom of violating the California Constitution.

“Newsom’s made it clear: He’ll shred California’s Constitution and trample over democracy—running a cynical, self-serving playbook where Californians are an afterthought and power is the only priority,” Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the group, said in a statement.