Statewide Special sign in Burbank, 2025 (mediacityg)
The controversial congressional redistricting measure, Proposition 50, won an overwhelming victory in the Statewide Special Election last Tuesday, but some of its opponents are not accepting defeat. A redistricting map with new U.S. House boundaries, drawn up by state Democratic leaders, gives Democrats the advantage in five additional districts. The map is temporary and would be implemented only through 2030.
A day after the election, A coalition of California Republicans and other voters filed a federal lawsuit to block the measure, claiming the map-makers improperly used race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters. They want the new map tossed out before the crucial 2026 midterm elections. The lawsuit is funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Nevertheless, the ballot counting continues. “State law gives county elections officials up to 30 days after Election Day to complete vote counting, auditing, and certification,” Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber noted in a news release. “In California, we work to ensure every ballot is counted properly and every ballot is accounted for.”
The Secretary of State will certify the results by December 12, 2025.
Meanwhile, Proposition 50’s biggest cheerleader, California Governor Gavin Newsom, took a victory lap in Texas yesterday. Newsom gave a fiery speech at a rally in Houston attended by cheering Texas Democrats. Newsom praised them for sparking the redistricting fight. “It’s dawning on people, all across the United States of America, what’s at stake,” Newsom reportedly told the crowd. “And you put a stake in the ground.”
