CALIFORNIA (FOX26) — We are less than a week away from California’s special election.
We take a deep dive into Proposition 50, the only statewide item on the November 4th ballot, and we look at why it matters to voters in our part of the state.
FOX26 anchor Liz Gonzalez begins our week-long coverage with a look at the history of congressional lines in our state.
We continue our deep dive into the only statewide initiative on the ballot: Proposition 50.
For decades, California politicians drew their own district maps, deciding which voters they wanted, and which ones they didn’t.
After years of frustration and accusations of gerrymandering, voters took that power away.
FOX26 News reporter Karl Cooke takes a look at the supporters and their opponents.
Under the state constitution, California’s 52 seats in the U.S. House are currently drawn by the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission every ten years, after the 2020 census.
Prop 50 would temporarily suspend the duties of that commission and place the power back into the hands of the legislature.
If 50 is approved, this would only last until the next census count in 2030.
Then the independent redistricting commission will resume its duty.
Under the current map, democrats hold 43 of the state’s 52 U.S. House seats, despite republicans arguing that the advantage is deeper than voter turnout alone.
FOX26 anchor Liz Gonzalez breaks down which seats are targeted and how the proposed map can change how your voice is heard in Washington.
Under the current map, democrats hold 43 of the state’s 52 U.S. House seats.
Democrats are hoping to pick up five seats in response to what they call election rigging in other states like Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Utah.
FOX26 anchor Liz Gonzalez looks into the dollars, the donors, and the players behind Proposition 50, as well as a new poll shows Prop 50 holding a narrow lead among likely voters.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 56% say they plan to vote yes on the redistricting measure, while 43% plan to vote no.
The poll highlights deep partisan divides, with 84 percent of democrats backing the measure and nearly nine in 10 republicans opposing it.
Among independents, support stands at 55 percent.
Researchers say nearly 70%of voters consider the outcome of Prop 50 to be very important.
The survey questioned just over 17-hundred adults statewide earlier this month and carries a margin of error of about 4% among likely voters.
Finally we take a look at what’s at stake in the national effort to redistrict.
Republicans won the House majority in 2024 by a margin of only three seats.
To maintain control of the house, President Trump has urged states to redraw congressional lines mid-cycle.
It started with Texas, where the governor signed off on new Republican-backed maps aimed at flipping five Democratic-held seats.
Texas lawmakers even used a special legislative session and procedural tactics to fast-track the changes.
Republicans already control 25 of Texas’s 38 seats.
Texas voters don’t register by party, but voting data reveals more than 46% of Texans voted democratic in recent elections, compared to 37% republican.
FOX26 News reporter Karl Cooke goes on to explain the breakdown of other seats, as well as when and how to get your ballots in.
If you’ve missed any of our week-long proposition coverage you can check it out on YouTube.