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VOTE! LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

Mountain View News Saturday, October 18, 2025

STATEWIDE SPECIAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 4, 2025

 

The last day to register to vote for the November 4, 2025, Statewide Special Election is October 20, 2025.

All California active registered voters will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the November 4, 2025, Statewide Special Election.

Your county elections office began mailing ballots on October 6, 2025.

Ballot drop-off locations opened on October 7, 2025.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail, at a drop-off location, or your county elections office.

To make sure your ballot is counted, return it early by mail, drop box, or vote center. If you mail it, do it early — or walk it into the post office 
and request a postmark.

Vote centers open for early in-person voting in all Voter’s Choice Act counties beginning on October 25, 2025.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by November 12, 2025.

PROP 50: FOLLOW THE MONEY

The Nov. 4 special election will determine 
whether California will redraw the state’s 
congressional district lines as Proposition 50 
seeks to temporarily bypass the California 
Citizens Redistricting Commission and the 
state to use the newly drawn congressional 
district maps, in time for the 2026 midterm 
elections. 

Prop 50, also known as the Election Rigging 
Response Act, is backed by Governor Gavin 
Newsom and the leaders from the state assembly 
and senate. Newsom has outright 
said the state ballot measure is California’s 
attempt to “fight fire with fire” and counter 
Texas’ new congressional map that favors 
Republican candidates and could help the 
GOP maintain the control over the U.S. 
House of Representatives.

The people behind “Yes on Prop 50” want 
Californians to approve the proposal, arguing 
it would give California voters an opportunity 
to “push back against President 
Trump’s power grab in Texas and other Republican 
led states.

Those in the “No on Prop 50” group is asking 
voters to reject the ballot measure, saying 
this is a direct violation of Prop 11, which 
Californians approved in 2008 and created 
a 14-member independent commission, giving 
it the authority to draw the district lines 
every 10 years based on the census data. 

Prop 50 has generated tens of millions of 
dollars in contribution, with both sides aggres-
sively putting on ads ahead of Nov. 4. 
With more than $82 million raised for the 
proposition as of Tuesday, see who is funding 
the efforts to support or oppose Prop 50.

Who is supporting Prop 50?

Three committees have been formed to raise 
funding to pass Prop 50, according to the 
California Fair Political Practices Commission. 
Among them, the Election Rigging 
Response Act, Governor Newsom’s Ballot 
Measure committee has raised the most 
amount of money with nearly $40 million 
contributions. 

The largest amount of money donated to 
“Yes on Prop 50” came from the Fund for 
Policy Reform. The lobbyist group founded 
by billionaire George Soros donated $10 
million.

The House Majority PAC (HMP), a Democrat 
led super PAC, has donated $9.9 million 
for the Election Rigging Response Act, Governor 
Newsom’s Ballot Measure committee.

Influential labor unions like the National 
Education Association, California Teachers 
Association and California Nurses Association 
have donated nearly $3 million each.

The political campaign that funded Newsom’s 
2022 gubernatorial reelection effort 
has transferred $2.6 million. A politician’s 
campaign funds can be legally transferred 
or donated to political party committees or 
candidates. 

Who is opposing Prop 50?

Two committees raised over $7.6 million to 
the “No on Prop 50” campaign as of Tuesday.

Charles Thomas Munger, Jr. donated over 
$32 million as his name has been blasting 
all across the airwaves and social media 
platforms.

Munger, a key ally of former Governor Arnold 
Schwarzenegger, was instrumental in 
passing 2008’s Voters FIRST Act that gave 
Californians the power to draw congressional 
district lines every 10 years through 
the independent Citizens Redistricting 
Commission. 

A Republican super PAC called the Congressional 
Leadership Fund whose donors 
include Elon Musk contributed $5 million 
to the “No on Prop 50” campaign, Federal 
Election Commission records show. 

California’s notable GOP leaders: The election 
campaigns for former Speaker Kevin 
McCarthy and his successor Congressman 
Vince Fong have donated $1 million each to 
the “no” campaign. 

Congressman Ken Calvert, whose Congressional 
District 41 would be heavily 
impacted if Prop 50 is approved, donated 
over $276,000 from his reelection campaign 
funds.

A Native American group is among the 
donors for the “no” campaign. The Poarch 
Band of Creek Indians contributed $25,000. 
NBCLA reached out to the Poarch Band of 
Creek Indians to clarify its possible link to 
Prop 50 and California related issues.

From various news sources including NBCLA.

PROP 50 AUTHORIZES TEMPORARY CHANGES TO CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAPS IN RESPONSE 
TO TEXAS’ PARTISAN REDISTRICTING. LEGISLATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

SUMMARY

Put on the Ballot by the Legislature

Requires temporary use of new congressional district maps through 2030. Directs independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to resume 
enacting congressional district maps in 2031. Establishes policy supporting nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide. Fiscal Impact: 
One-time costs to counties of up to a few million dollars statewide to update election materials to reflect new congressional district maps.

WHAT YOUR VOTE MEANS

YES

A YES vote on this measure means: The state would use new, legislatively 
drawn congressional district maps starting in 2026. California’s 
new maps would be used until the California Citizens Redistricting 
Commission draws new maps following the 2030 U.S. Census.

NO

A NO vote on this measure means: Current congressional district 
maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission 
(Commission) would continue to be used in California until the Commission 
draws new maps following the 2030 U.S. Census. 

ARGUMENTS

PRO

Proposition 50—The Election Rigging Response Act—approves temporary, 
emergency congressional district maps to counter Donald Trump’s scheme to 
rig next year’s congressional election and reaffirms California’s commitment 
to independent, nonpartisan redistricting after the next census. Vote Yes on 
50 for democracy in all 50 states. Learn more at StopElectionRigging.com.

CON

Prop. 50 was written by politicians, for politicians—dismantling safeguards 
that keep elections fair, removes requirements to keep local communities 
together, and eliminates voter protections that ban maps designed to favor 
political parties. Vote NO to protect fair elections and keep citizens—not 
politicians—in charge of redistricting.

ANALYSIS BY THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST

BACKGROUND

U.S. CONGRESS

U.S. Congress. The U.S. Congress is the part of the federal government 
that makes laws. Congress has two parts: the U.S. Senate and the 
U.S. House of Representatives (House). Each of the 50 states is represented 
by 2 senators, with 100 senators in total. The House has 435 
members. The number of representatives in the House for each state 
depends on how many people live in that state. Each member in the 
House represents an area of the state called a congressional district. 
California currently has 52 congressional districts. Voters who live in 
each congressional district elect one member of the House every two 
years to represent them. The next election for all 435 representatives 
will be in 2026.

U.S. Census Counts States’ Populations Every Ten Years. The number 
of people living in an area goes up and down over time. Every ten 
years, the U.S. Census counts the number of people who live in the 
U.S. The last census was in 2020, and the next census is in 2030. This 
count is used to determine how many people live in each state and 
how many representatives in the House each state gets for the next 
ten years.

CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING

Each State Draws Congressional District Maps Following the U.S. 
Census. Every ten years, after the U.S. Census is completed, states 
draw new congressional district maps to reflect their number of House 
representatives and where people live. This process is called “redistricting.” 
Each state decides what process to use to draw its new district 
maps. When drawing new maps, each state must follow federal 
laws. For example, each congressional district in the state must represent 
about the same number of people.

States Typically Do Not Redistrict Sooner Than Every Ten Years. 
States typically only draw congressional district maps every ten years, 
unless a court orders changes to comply with the law. In August 2025, 
however, the Texas Legislature passed a bill to adopt new maps for 
the 2026 elections without a court order. Several other states also are 
considering changes to their maps before the 2026 elections.

Congressional Redistricting in California. State legislatures draw congressional 
district maps in most states, but some states use commissions 
to do this job. Before 2010, the California Legislature drew the 
state’s congressional district maps. In 2010, California voters gave this 
job to an independent commission known as the California Citizens 
Redistricting Commission (Commission). The Commission includes 
14 members: 5 Democratic members, 5 Republican members, and 4 
members who are not registered with either of those political parties. 
When the Commission draws new congressional district maps, it must 
follow federal and state laws. For example, state law requires, among 
other things, the Commission to avoid splitting up neighborhoods or 
local communities of interest to the extent possible. State law also 
prohibits the Commission from considering political parties, current 
office holders, or people running for office when it draws the maps.

Current California Congressional Districts. The Commission drew the 
current maps for California’s 52 congressional districts. These maps 
were based on the 2020 U.S. Census and have been used since the 
2022 congressional elections.

PROPOSAL

CALIFORNIA’S CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAPS

Use Legislatively Drawn Congressional District Maps Until After the 
Next Census. Proposition 50 replaces California’s current congressional 
district maps with new, legislatively drawn maps. (The total number 
of districts would not change.) Proposition 50’s maps must follow 
federal law, but they are not required to follow the state requirements 
placed on the Commission. The state would use Proposition 50’s maps 
for congressional elections starting in 2026. The state would use these 
maps until the Commission draws new district maps, following the 
2030 U.S. Census.

NATIONAL CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING

Call for Change in Federal Law. Proposition 50 asks the U.S. Congress 
to change federal law and propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution 
to require redistricting be done by “fair, independent, and nonpartisan 
redistricting commissions nationwide.” Proposition 50 expresses 
voter support for this idea, but does not change federal law or require 
any particular action of Congress or the California Legislature.

FISCAL EFFECTS

Minor One-Time Costs to County and State Elections Officials. Counties 
run elections, and the state oversees them. Because most congressional 
districts in California would change at least some under the 
new maps, county and state elections officials would need to update 
election materials. This would result in one-time costs to counties of 
up to a few million dollars statewide and one-time costs to the state of 
roughly $200,000. The state amount is much less than one-tenth of 1 
percent (0.1 percent) of the state’s roughly $220 billion General Fund 
budget. (The General Fund is the account the state uses to pay for most 
public services, including education, health care, and prisons.)

CURRENT AND PROPOSED CONGRESSIONAL 
DISTRICT MAPS

A description of the census blocks represented by each district in 
the proposed maps can be found at the following website: 

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.
xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB604

Visit sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying/cal-access-resources/measure-
contributions/2025-ballot-measure-contribution-totals 
for a list of committees primarily formed to support or oppose 
this measure.

Visit fppc.ca.gov/transparency/top-contributors.html to access 
the committee's top 10 contributors.

SOURCE: 

California Secretary of State - Elections Information

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FOR

Governor Gavin Newsom

Yes on 50, The Election Rigging Response Act,

Governor Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee

555 Capitol Mall, Suite 400

Sacramento, CA 95814

info@stopelectionrigging.com

StopElectionRigging.com

AGAINST

No on Prop. 50—Protect

Voters First, Sponsored by

Hold Politicians Accountable

2350 Kerner Blvd., Suite 250

San Rafael, CA 94901

(916) 446-6572

info@votersfirstact.org 

VotersFirstAct.org

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR 2025 STATEWIDE SPECIAL ELECTION

Register by Oct. 20 to Receive a Vote by Mail ballot; In-person Voting Begins Oct. 25

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) Dean C. Logan reminds eligible voters that Monday, October 20, is the deadline to register to vote and 
receive a Vote by Mail ballot for the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election. 

Registering to vote is quick and easy and can be completed online at LAVOTE.GOV. 

Voter registration applications are also available at most government buildings, such as libraries, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and RR/CC offices throughout Los Angeles 
County. 

Voters can check their voter registration to ensure they are registered to vote and their information is up-to-date. 

If eligible voters miss the deadline, they will not be issued a Vote by Mail ballot, but can still vote in person at any Vote Center in Los Angeles County beginning Saturday, October 25. 

The RR/CC provides translated election materials in 18 different languages. Voters can request to receive their materials in their preferred language by returning the Language Request 
Form on the back of the Sample Ballot Book, or by calling (800) 815-2666, option 3. Spanish-speaking voters may also call (213) 358-2701 for direct assistance. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com