LOS ANGELES — California voters on Tuesday will decide on Proposition 50 — a measure that, if passed, would temporarily allow new congressional maps to be implemented ahead of the 2026 midterm election.
Los Angeles County vote centers on election day will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. In Orange County, on Election Day, all vote centers will also open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If voters are in line by 8 p.m., they can still cast their vote.
The newly drawn congressional map for California would also highly favor Democrats until the 2030 election, at which point an independent commission would draw a new congressional map.
Proposition 50 is an effort by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to counter a President Donald Trump-backed plan in Texas to gain five more Republican seats.
Newsom has said it’s necessary to defend democracy, but California Republicans call it a power grab that will disenfranchise voters.
Republicans currently hold nine of the state’s 52 congressional seats.
The latest California polling shows voters are leaning in favor of Proposition 50.
Last month, the DOJ announced it is planning to monitor polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, and five counties in southern and central California: Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno. The goal, according to the DOJ, is “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”
If you plan to vote by mail, ballots must be postmarked by election day and received by Nov. 12 to be counted.
LA Metro will offer free rides Tuesday on Election Day to get riders to the polls.
Starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday through 3 a.m. Wednesday, the transit agency will not collect fare. Riders can use Metro buses, trains, bike share or its micro ride-share to get to the polls or drop off their ballots at their nearest vote center or ballot drop-box.
Metro’s headquarters in Union Station will have a voting center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Proposition 50 requires a simple majority to pass.