California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters) is endorsing YES on Proposition 50 this year. Let’s get into the reasons why we’re endorsing, what Prop 50 means for California, and how Prop 50 ties into our environmental and democracy work.
What is Proposition 50—and why is it on the ballot?
To understand Proposition 50, you need to understand the national political context and motivation.
In July 2025, President Donald Trump ordered Texas Governor Greg Abbot to redistrict Texas. Why? Trump is trying to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the face of the 2026 midterm elections so he can keep control of Congress and avoid accountability.
This is big, because Texas wasn’t supposed to redistrict in the middle of a decade. Typically, redistricting happens once every 10 years after the U.S. census.
The Texas redistricting is textbook gerrymandering—drawing their districts specifically to give Republicans a better chance of winning seats in Congress. This plan would likely unseat five Texas Democrats by diluting the voting strength of urban areas and BIPOC voters, giving Texas five new Republican seats.
Because of this Texas redistricting, the California Legislature created and passed the “Election Rigging Response Act.” This law put Proposition 50 on the ballot for a special election in November, allowing California voters to choose for ourselves whether we want to do our own redistricting in California to counter Texas.
Understanding the Prop 50 Redistricting Proposal
Right now, California’s redistricting is done every 10 years after the federal census by an independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. This Citizens Redistricting Commission includes the California Environmental Voters Education Fund as the first environmental organization to engage with the commission and help ensure that each district includes public lands and an environmental perspective when being drawn.
The independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is a major step forward to ensuring fair, balanced, and equitable representation in our government. But not every state has an independent redistricting commission—many are left free to gerrymander, giving the political party in power an edge in elections. In the fraught political climate that we’re in, where our president is attempting to wrest near-unilateral power for himself, independent redistricting means that California is less capable of checking and balancing the power in our county.
Today, California has 43 Democrats and nine Republicans in the House. Proposition 50 would re-map our congressional districts and shift five more House districts into competitive or easily winnable territory for Democrats.
Here’s how Prop 50 would change California’s congressional district maps:
- District 1, which covers northeastern California, would shift farther southwest and add parts of Plumas, Sierra, Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties.
- District 3 in the Sierras would shrink to cover only Nevada, Placer, and El Dorado Counties, and a portion of Sacramento County.
- District 41, currently located in the western Inland Empire, would be shifted significantly westward to Los Angeles County, with Riverside County being split among other nearby districts.
These measures make sure our state has equitable representation in Congress, ensuring that we have a House of Representatives that reflects our state’s values and champions climate progress.
In 2030, these maps would expire, and California would go back to our normal redistricting process with an independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. This preserves our state’s priorities of fair, equitable representation while making sure that we’re playing on a level political playing field when it counts.
Why vote “Yes” on Proposition 50?
Voting YES on Proposition 50 will make sure that the 2026 midterm elections are more representative of where Californians are at, and ensure fair federal representation on the issues we care most about. Proposition 50 gives California voters the choice to approve an emergency congressional district map so that we can fight back against an election rigging agenda.
This new map directly balances the five new Republican seats in Texas with five new Democrat seats in California, allowing us to fight back against Trump’s power grab agenda.
If passed, Proposition 50 would give California a better shot at creating a House majority in Congress that cares about climate progress, democracy, and justice for all.
Arguments against Proposition 50
A NO vote on Proposition 50 means that district maps will stay the way they are until 2030.
How to vote on Proposition 50
If you’re registered to vote in California, you should have received a vote-by-mail ballot in your mailbox. These can be dropped off at any Ballot Drop-Off Location—find your closest one here!
If you’re not registered to vote, you can register same day at the vote center. Your voter registration form will need to be validated before your ballot can be counted.
If you’d prefer to vote in-person, you can do so on election day: November 4, 2025. Find your closest polling place here.
Not convinced that voting matters? Check out our blog on the topic!
References & Further Reading
- Our Press Statement on Proposition 50
- Redistricting in California – Envirovoters Ed Fund
- Texas passes midterm redistricting sought by Trump as California plans to counter : NPR
- Mid-Decade Congressional Redistricting: Key Issues | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
- Trump Ordered Texas To Gerrymander 5 New Republican-Leaning Congressional Districts—This Is How Other States Can Fight Back – Center for American Progress
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