Voters to decide today on Prop 50

This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.

The day has finally come - today, millions of Californians will decide if the state will change its Congressional maps to give Democrats a better chance of winning the 2026 Midterm election.

Polls are now open and will close at 8 p.m. tonight, giving California residents who didn’t vote by mail time to get in line and cast their ballot. This year, there is only one measure on the ballot: Proposition 50. The proposition only needs a simple majority to pass.

“We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt, and we have got to meet fire with fire,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in August, when he announced the redistricting measure. 

The governor has championed the Yes on 50 campaign, a direct response to Texas’ redistricting of its own maps - a move that erased five Democratic seats. Texas Governor Greg Abbott seemingly led the mid-decade redistricting at President Donald Trump’s request. 

Other Republican states, including Missouri and North Carolina, have launched similar efforts to ensure Republicans continue to control Congress and support the Trump Administration’s agenda going forward.

Opponents of Prop 50 say it's a power grab by Newsom and Democrats in Sacramento. Since California approved an independent commission to draw maps over a decade ago, Prop 50 would give back that power to politicians until after the 2030 Midterms.

The latest polling shows a promising outlook for supporters of the redistricting measure. A poll from the Public Policy Institute of California showed 56% of likely voters were in favor of the measure. A U.C. Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed that number even higher, with 60% of likely voters supporting Prop 50.

Mail-in voting allows voters to get their decision in ahead of time, allowing them to skip the long lines at polling places. 

Approximately 28%, or around 6.6 million, of total ballots that were sent out for the special election were returned early, according to Political Data Inc., a data firm often used by political campaigns.

Voters can find their polling place here. CALÓNews has put together a comprehensive Prop 50 guide with everything else you need to know.