California’s congressional maps will be redrawn to create more blue-leaning districts after voters approved a measure to amend the state’s constitution on Tuesday, delivering a victory for Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats in a contentious redistricting battle that has broken out around the country.
The Associated Press called the passage of Proposition 50—which will allow a new, gerrymandered congressional district map to be implemented through 2030—as soon as the polls closed, before votes were officially tallied.
Maps are typically redrawn only once a decade after the census, and in California—as in several other Democratic strongholds—an independent commission oversees the process. But Newsom championed the measure to counter Texas Republicans’ efforts, under pressure from President Donald Trump, to redraw their own state’s maps to add five more GOP-friendly House seats.
“You have the power to stand up to Donald Trump,” Newsom said in an ad supporting the measure that featured several other prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
The partisan scramble was sparked by Trump pushing Texas and other Republican-majority states to redistrict to preserve the party’s majority in the House, prompting Democrats to launch their own efforts to push back.
“Proposition 50—The Election Rigging Response Act—approves temporary, emergency congressional district maps to counter Donald Trump’s scheme to rig next year’s congressional election and reaffirms California’s commitment to independent, nonpartisan redistricting after the next census,” reads the argument in favor of the measure included in the state’s reference guide. “Vote Yes on 50 for democracy in all 50 states.”
Read more: The Difference Between Gerrymandering and Redistricting, Explained
Polling ahead of the election on Tuesday showed large partisan divides among voters, with a statewide survey from the Public Institute of California finding nearly 85% of Democrats in favor of the ballot measure and 89% of Republicans against it. Independents, meanwhile, appeared more evenly split: A narrow majority of 55 percent said they would vote in favor of Prop 50.
Now that the ballot measure has passed, here’s what you should know about what it means for California’s congressional maps—and the broader redistricting fight.
How will California’s congressional maps change?
The new congressional maps proposed by the state’s Democrats, which Proposition 50 will implement, are intended to net the party five additional seats in the House—but their actual impact will still depend on races in those districts.
Among those affected are two Latino-majority battleground districts, the 13th and 22nd, which could be competitive even with the gerrymandered maps, the Sacramento Bee reported. The latter is currently represented by Republican Rep. David Valadao, who beat former Democratic state assemblyman Rudy Salas by earning 53% of the vote in 2024. In the former, Democratic Rep. Adam Gray unseated Republican John Duarte last year by a margin of fewer than 200 votes.
Rural residents in northern California will also be affected by the new maps, which shift district lines so that voters in three counties that voted in favor of Trump will share a representative with some of the more liberal communities in the state.
Read more: Gavin Newsom Says He Will Consider Run For White House
After 2030, the 14-member independent commission, made up of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, that has drawn California’s congressional maps since 2010 will resume its typical role in the process.
A national battle over redistricting
California is one of a number of states where legislators are making moves to redistrict mid-decade—or considering doing so—as Republicans and Democrats look to counter one another’s efforts to gain an advantage in the fight for House control.
Republicans, who will be fighting to retain bicameral control in next year’s elections, currently hold a very slim majority in the chamber with 219 seats—and the President’s party historically loses seats during the midterms.
In addition to Texas, which approved redrawn maps over the summer, Missouri has also sought to heed Trump’s call by passing new maps that aim to add an additional Republican seat. But they may have to be put to voters in a referendum next November before they can be adopted.
Ohio and North Carolina have also approved new maps, and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has called a special session to consider redrawing his state’s as well after Vice President J.D. Vance put pressure on Indiana Republicans. (Ohio was already required to redraw its congressional map this year, though the recently approved one does improve Republicans’ chances of winning seats in two districts.)
On the Democratic side, Virginia’s legislature has begun the complicated process of working to amend the state constitution to enable redistricting.
The governors of Illinois and New York have also signaled their potential support for redistricting. They could face obstacles if they pursue it, however. In New York, like in California, an independent commission is tasked with drawing new maps, and voters would have to approve a constitutional amendment to allow for redistricting there as well. In Illinois, the state House’s top Republican has questioned whether Pritzker has enough votes on his side—and, given that Democrats already hold two of the state’s three House seats, even a successful effort might not gain them much.
In Maryland, meanwhile, the effort has caused interparty tension among the state’s Democratic leaders. Gov. Wes Moore and state House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones have voiced support for redrawing the state’s congressional maps, while Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has opposed such an effort. In an October letter to Maryland Senate Democrats, Ferguson said mid-decade redistricting would be “too risky” and contended that it undermines “trust in institutions, and ultimately, democracy.”
Moore is looking to move forward anyway. “The General Assembly is a large body, so while I have read the Senate President’s letter, I also know that one person cannot stop a process,” the governor told the press last week. On Tuesday, he announced the launch of a redistricting advisory commission to weigh redrawing Maryland’s maps.
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