California voters are considering Proposition 50 for a redistricting measure

Chico, California – Voting began this week statewide Special elections It would radically change California’s congressional map. Proposition 50, or Proposition 50, could add up to five Democratic-controlled seats in Congress in time for the 2026 midterm elections.

Ask the measure California voters To temporarily allow the Legislature to determine the state’s district maps until 2030, after which power would return to the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission. If Proposition 50 wins, it could leave at least four Republican-controlled seats across the state after 2026.

Recent polls indicate Prop 50 is likely to pass. Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats say Proposition 50 is a necessary countermeasure to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas.

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However, Jim Adams, a professor at the University of California, Davis, warned that a Democratic win in the short term could be negative Long-term consequences.

“I think that even if Proposition 50 helps Democrats win a few extra seats in California, by winning the fight in California, Democrats may be setting themselves up to lose the war nationally,” Adams told Fox.

Adams, a Democrat, said he agrees with Proposition 50 supporters that he wants to see something done to limit Republican redistricting efforts in other parts of the country.

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He added: “There is certainly deep comfort among Democrats that they feel that Proposition 50 is helping them fight back. I have no doubt that Democrats need to fight back. The question is, are they fighting smartly with Proposition 50.”

Proposition 50 will likely spark a political backlash, not just within California Republicans or independents in 2026, but nationally during the 2028 presidential election.

If Proposition 50 passes, California’s northern districts risk going from mostly red to completely blue after the midterms.

Chico, California, is in the Republican-controlled 1st District, represented by Rep. Doug LaMalfa. It is one of the districts targeted by Prop 50. The proposed map would likely flip the district by attracting voters from an area closer to the Democratic-leaning Bay Area.

In 2024, President Donald Trump He won Butte County by about 3,000 votes over then-Vice President Kamala Harris. On the streets of downtown Chico, this political divide was on display when voters were asked about their feelings on Proposition 50.

Voting is underway in the 2025 elections that could determine whether Republicans keep their votes in the 2026 midterm elections.

Both Don Tharman and Martin Bettencourt said they support the proposal, adding that it is a reaction to the Trump presidency.

“We agree with Gavin Newsom that Trump is trying to influence the House elections. He got five votes in Texas. We’ll see how the vote turns out when we get to the election. But yeah, we’re not fans of Trump. I think Gavin Newsom is trying to push back a little bit,” Tharman said.

Bettencourt said he doesn’t normally support redistricting, but this is a “different time.”

“I don’t like redistricting,” he said. “I think it’s bad for voters. I think it takes away power from them, because they move and adjust it.” “I think we’re in a bit of a different time, so we’re reacting to the top of the list, which is the president, and we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to compensate for that until we get a better person in a position of power.”

Jim Henderson and Eleanor Engelbrecht are among those who disagree with the proposal — and both say redistricting in California is not an ideal response to efforts in Texas.

“When we say they’re doing it in Iowa, do we have to make Oregon do the same thing and the next thing you know everything is rigged? It’s unfortunate that the governor of Texas didn’t realize that wasn’t an appropriate way to handle an election, but he made up his mind, and I don’t think we should feel compelled to say, ‘Well, if you’re going to do it, we’re going to do it, too,'” Henderson said.

Engelbrecht said the country was going through enough change and things needed to “stabilize.”

“Right now, we’re going through a lot of change already, and I don’t think this is a time where we need to, I don’t know, really dust off and clean up. I think we really need to let things settle. I think our country right now, there’s a lot of divisions really, and I think that really goes back to standing up for fair elections,” she said.

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If Prop 50 is approved, there will likely be a legal battle. California Republicans have already filed lawsuits against the measure.