Your last-minute guide to Proposition 50: California redistricting

Still haven’t decided how you are voting on Prop. 50? Let us help.

The basics

Proposition 50 would change how California determines the boundaries of congressional districts. The measure asks voters to approve new congressional district lines designed to favor Democrats for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections, overriding the map drawn by the state’s nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission.

Impact

If voters approve Proposition 50, Golden State Democrats would see the odds tilted further in their favor, while the number of Republicans representing California in Washington, D.C., could be reduced by half.

Background

With a push from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrats in the state Legislature put Proposition 50 on California’s Nov. 4 ballot after the Texas GOP began discussing a new map that would help elect five more Republicans to Congress. The Republican Party holds the House by such a slim margin that any changes to state maps could have an effect on the balance of power in Washington.

More to read:

Read more: Your guide to Proposition 50: California redistricting

Read more: How to vote in California’s Nov. 4 special election

Read more: Will your congressional district shift left or right in Newsom’s proposed map?

Taking sides

Generally speaking, Proposition 50 is marked by a partisan divide.

Some supporters say they will vote for redistricting even though they don’t like it. Instead, they blame Republicans in Texas and elsewhere for gerrymandering to help the GOP. If California didn’t respond, Republicans would get away with stacking the congressional electoral map in their favor. Prop. 50 is backed by topDemocrats nationwide, led by Newsom.

Supporters:

“Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years,. With Prop. 50, you can stop Republicans in their tracks. Prop. 50 puts our elections back on a level playing field, preserves independent redistricting over the long term, and lets the people decide. Return your ballot today.”

-Barack Obama

Opponents

“They are trying to fight for democracy by getting rid of the democratic principles of California. It is insane to let that happen… They want to dismantle this independent commission. They want to get rid of it under the auspices of we have to fight Trump. It doesn’t make any sense to me because we have to fight Trump, [yet] we become Trump.”

—Arnold Schwarzenegger

Orange County Register: “Prop. 50 tosses aside the congressional maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in favor of maps drawn by and for the benefit of politicians. In a healthy democracy, you want voters to be the ones choosing their politicians. With Prop. 50, you have politicians choosing their voters.”

More to read

Read more: ‘Democracy is on the ballot,’ Obama says, urging Californians to pass Prop. 50 in new ad

Read more: California Republicans energized by their opposition to Newsom’s redistricting special election

Read more: ‘It’s all at stake’: As Prop. 50 fight intensifies, Newsom, partisan influencers rally their bases

State of the race

Polls

Polls have shown Prop. 50 comfortable leading.

• Six in 10 likely voters support Proposition 50, according to a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times. About 38% of likely voters oppose the ballot measure.

• According to the survey, the breakdown among voters was highly partisan, with more than 9 out of 10 Democrats supporting Proposition 50 and a similar proportion of Republicans opposing it. Among voters who belong to other parties, or identify as “no party preference,” 57% favored the ballot measure, while 39% opposed it.

• In the voter-rich urban areas of Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay area, Proposition 50 led by wide margins, the poll found. Voters in Orange County, the Inland Empire and the Central Valley were pretty evenly divided.

Fundraising

Records show pro-Prop. 50 forces have raised much more money than critics.

• Gov. Gavin Newsom’s committee supporting the redistricting measure raised $36.8 million between Sept. 21 and Oct. 18, bringing its total to $114.3 million, as of last Thursday.

• The two main opposition groups raised a total of $8.4 million during the 28 days covered by the fundraising period, bringing their total haul to $43.7 million.

Read more: Voters in poll side with Newsom, Democrats on Prop. 50 — a potential blow to Trump and GOP

Read more: Who is spending money on Prop. 50, the redistricting measure on California’s November ballot

Read more: Unions opposing Trump agenda pouring money into Proposition 50 campaign

Read more: Proponents of Nov. 4 redistricting ballot measure vastly outraise opponents

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.