Prop. 50 Is Passed Overwhelmingly by Voters. What’s Next?

Proposition 50 passed in California on Tuesday with a decisive margin—roughly 4,971,914 “Yes” votes vs. 2,826,189 “No” votes, out of about 7,809,756 total votes counted as of the most recent tally. Some prognosticators were predicting a close contest. But given the collapse of the “No on 50” fundraising machine, the result was not in question and was announced within seconds of the polls closing. 

What Happens Now

Earlier this year, the legislature passed and the governor signed into law Assembly Bill 604. AB 604 created the Congressional Maps that will be used in the 2026, 2028, and 2030 Congressional elections in California. Democrats expect to pick up five or six seats in California to offset losses due to gerrymandering without voter approval in other states, most notably Texas.

Following the 2030 census, creation of the state’s Congressional map returns to the Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC), created by voters through Proposition 11 in 2008, and later expanded by Proposition 20 in 2010.

Opponents characterized Proposition 50 as a “power grab” during the campaign, arguing it undermines fairness and weakens the independent commission model. Some opponents, spurred on by the social media accounts of the president, are baselessly claiming there was fraud committed by mail-in voting. Republicans have already filed a lawsuit to overturn the election.

Current results show that Prop. 50 earned a higher percentage of the vote than Kamala Harris did against Donald Trump in 2024. Combine that with election results in Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, and it’s a clear rebuke of the Trump Administration and could foreshadow similar results in 2026.

More Prop. 50

If you’d like to read more about Prop. 50, here are some links:

Proposition 50 passed in California. Here’s what you missed – CalMatters

Prop. 50 passage sets off a chain of political and legal maneuvers – Calmatters

California Prop 50 passes by wide margin in clear rebuke of Trump — San Francisco Chronicle

Passage of Prop. 50 brightens Newsom’s national prospects while casting a shadow on Trump – Los Angeles Times

When Obama endorsed Prop. 50 in California, Democrats lost their soul – Sacramento Bee