Democratic Party leaders are celebrating the victory, while Republicans are launching legal challenges to block the new congressional maps.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Voters across California approved a ballot measure on Nov. 4 to redraw congressional maps, giving members of the Democratic Party an advantage in U.S. House races in 2026.
Party leaders celebrated the passage of Proposition 50, dubbed the Election Rigging Response Act, after the “Yes on 50” campaign raised nearly $172 million, compared to about $84 million raised by opponents.
“This was not just a victory tonight for the Democratic Party, it was a victory for the United States of America, for the people of this country, and the principles that our founding fathers lived and died for,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a victory speech at the California Democratic Party headquarters after the election result was called.
He thanked supporters and the millions of Californians who came out on election day to support his plan.
“We organized in an unprecedented way, in a 90-day sprint,” Newsom said. “We stood tall and we stood firm in response to [President] Donald Trump’s recklessness.”
The governor rejected Trump’s comments and social media posts alleging that California’s special election was rigged and suggesting that criminal inquiries were possible.
Newsom commended supporters’ determination and resolve, saying the electoral victory sends a message to the rest of the country.
“I hope it’s dawning on people, the sobriety of this moment, what’s at stake,” he said.
Five seats in Congress currently held by Republicans are now up for grabs as the redistricting maps approved by voters will carve up many rural districts and merge them with politically left-leaning cities and counties.
Voters Divided
Support for the proposition was widespread, totaling more than 60 percent of the vote, although opinions regarding the proposal varied across the state.
About 84 percent of San Francisco voters approved of the ballot measure, the most lopsided result statewide.
Central-Eastern Rural Inyo County’s tally showed a separation of 67 votes, as of Nov. 5, with opponents slightly edging those in favor of the proposition.
Fresno County was separated by approximately 0.2 percent, about 150 votes, with residents narrowly approving the measure.
More than 80 percent of voters in rural Lassen County in the northeast voted against the proposition, representing the proposition’s biggest percentage-wise opposition statewide.
Low turnout, about 35 percent of registered voters, worked in favor of the proposition, based on state election data and The Epoch Times’ observations on the most recent election day compared with turnout in November 2024.
