California Votes on the Fate of Proposition 50

Here are the top stories for the morning of Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. 

• Californians head to the polls today to decide on legislation that would change the state’s redistricting rules if passed–and could set up a more protracted political battle with the Trump Administration ahead of next year’s midterm elections. It has been championed by Gov. Newsom as a counter to the Texas state legislature’s decision to redraw its own district maps.
• The Department of Justice is sending election monitors to five counties in California, claiming that it is doing so to ensure transparency of the electoral process and make sure the election follows federal laws. Critics of the move say this is voter intimidation.

California’s Redistricting Vote Poses Wider Challenge to White House if Passed 

Proposition 50 has been riding on a wave of support ahead of election day, but the final hurdle for the pivotal legislation is whether voters will approve the new, temporary redistricting ballot measure.

Prop. 50 would sideline the California Citizens Redistricting Commission starting next year, and gerrymander the state to favor Democrats. The change would last until 2031, when the state’s independent redistricting commission would resume their former duties.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has championed the legislation, after Texas decided to prematurely redraw its congressional district maps in favor of the GOP. It was done at the demand of President Donald Trump, in order to give the Republicans more secure seats in the House.

How California votes on Prop. 50 could signal how lawmakers in other states move to support or oppose President Trump’s political agenda ahead of next year’s mid-term elections.

Federal Election Monitors Arrive as Californians Head to the Polls

Election monitors sent from the Department of Justice will be on hand in five California counties to observe, as voters head to the polls to vote on Proposition 50.

The officials will be monitoring polling places in Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles counties.

The DOJ said in a statement late last month that the monitors are there to “ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”

Governor Newsom has decried the move, saying it’s voter intimidation, and a way for the Trump Administration to later cast doubt on the legitimacy of the results if they do not favor him or the GOP.

The DOJ said it was sending the election monitors to those specific California counties at the request of the state Republican Party Chair, Corrin Rankin.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he’s deploying a team of the state’s own monitors to observe the conduct of the federal election monitors.

The DOJ is also sending election monitors to Passaic County in New Jersey–as votes in that state decide on a contentious gubernatorial race.