President Donald Trump and his press secretary on Tuesday alleged voter fraud in California’s special election, prompting state leaders to reject the claims as voters head to the polls to decide Proposition 50 on Election Day. | VIDEO ABOVE | Election Day coverage from 12 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4″The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “All ‘Mail-In’ Ballots, where the Republicans in that State are ‘Shut Out,’ is under very serious legal and criminal review. STAY TUNED!” During Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said they are working on an executive order in response to California’s special election on congressional redistricting.”There is blatant FRAUD with their mail-in voting system,” Leavitt said. “FRAUDULENT ballots are being mailed in under the names of other people and illegal aliens! There are COUNTLESS examples. And we are looking into executive action.”In response to Trump’s claim, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on the social platform X dismissed the president’s post as the “ramblings of an old man that knows he’s about to LOSE.”The California Secretary of State’s Office, the agency in charge of elections, referred to the claims as “baseless.””The bottom line is California elections have been validated by the courts,” California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a release. “California voters will not be deceived by someone who consistently makes desperate, unsubstantiated attempts to dissuade Americans from participating in our democracy. I encourage California voters who have not yet voted to go to the polls and join the more than 7 million voters who have already voted. California voters will not be sidelined from exercising their constitutional right to vote and should not let anyone deter them from exercising that right.” Ahead of Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice dispatched election monitors across parts of California, prompting some Democrats and voting rights activists to worry that the DOJ’s move was intended to undermine the voting process. California Attorney General Rob Bonta previously stated that the state will have its own observers to monitor the monitors.Voters in California are deciding the fate of Proposition 50. If passed, Democratic-drawn maps will be used for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. State Democratic leaders, including Newsom, argue that the measure is a response to Trump’s urging of Texas to redraw its line to help send five more Republicans to Congress. Texas complied and redrew its lines.Because California uses an independent redistricting commission that voters approved in 2008 and 2010, Democrats pushed for a special election to use maps that would help send five more Democrats to Congress.Both Democrats and Republicans are effectively gerrymandering, a practice of redistricting congressional lines to favor a specific political party. Midterm elections are typically when the party that won the presidency could lose seats and even majority power.Before polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Political Data Inc. reported that more than 6.6 million — almost 30% of total ballots sent to voters — were already returned. Both political parties rely on the data firm for elections.According to Tuesday’s data, 33% of the ballots returned before polls opened were from Democrats, and 31% were from Republicans.Data from the Secretary of State’s Office also indicates that as of 12:30 p.m., more than 7 million ballots have been returned out of around 23 million.Whether California voters approve or reject Prop 50 will determine how embroiled the state will be in the national push for mid-census redistricting. Learn more about Prop 50 from our previous coverage below:How a USPS mail service change may delay ballot returns for rural votersEverything to know about Prop 50Who are the 5 California Republicans who could lose their congressional seat if Prop 50 passes?Get the Facts: Why do mail-in ballot envelopes have holes for Prop 50 special election?What is Prop 50? Arguments for and against the California redistricting measureWhat is gerrymandering? History of the term and how it relates to California’s Prop 50In-person early voting begins in California for special election on Proposition 50How to track your ballot for the California Prop 50 special electionSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

President Donald Trump and his press secretary on Tuesday alleged voter fraud in California’s special election, prompting state leaders to reject the claims as voters head to the polls to decide Proposition 50 on Election Day.

| VIDEO ABOVE | Election Day coverage from 12 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4

“The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “All ‘Mail-In’ Ballots, where the Republicans in that State are ‘Shut Out,’ is under very serious legal and criminal review. STAY TUNED!”

During Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said they are working on an executive order in response to California’s special election on congressional redistricting.

“There is blatant FRAUD with their mail-in voting system,” Leavitt said. “FRAUDULENT ballots are being mailed in under the names of other people and illegal aliens! There are COUNTLESS examples. And we are looking into executive action.”

In response to Trump’s claim, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on the social platform X dismissed the president’s post as the “ramblings of an old man that knows he’s about to LOSE.”

The California Secretary of State’s Office, the agency in charge of elections, referred to the claims as “baseless.”

“The bottom line is California elections have been validated by the courts,” California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a release. “California voters will not be deceived by someone who consistently makes desperate, unsubstantiated attempts to dissuade Americans from participating in our democracy. I encourage California voters who have not yet voted to go to the polls and join the more than 7 million voters who have already voted. California voters will not be sidelined from exercising their constitutional right to vote and should not let anyone deter them from exercising that right.”

Ahead of Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice dispatched election monitors across parts of California, prompting some Democrats and voting rights activists to worry that the DOJ’s move was intended to undermine the voting process. California Attorney General Rob Bonta previously stated that the state will have its own observers to monitor the monitors.

Voters in California are deciding the fate of Proposition 50. If passed, Democratic-drawn maps will be used for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. State Democratic leaders, including Newsom, argue that the measure is a response to Trump’s urging of Texas to redraw its line to help send five more Republicans to Congress. Texas complied and redrew its lines.

Because California uses an independent redistricting commission that voters approved in 2008 and 2010, Democrats pushed for a special election to use maps that would help send five more Democrats to Congress.

Both Democrats and Republicans are effectively gerrymandering, a practice of redistricting congressional lines to favor a specific political party. Midterm elections are typically when the party that won the presidency could lose seats and even majority power.

Before polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Political Data Inc. reported that more than 6.6 million — almost 30% of total ballots sent to voters — were already returned. Both political parties rely on the data firm for elections.

According to Tuesday’s data, 33% of the ballots returned before polls opened were from Democrats, and 31% were from Republicans.

Data from the Secretary of State’s Office also indicates that as of 12:30 p.m., more than 7 million ballots have been returned out of around 23 million.

Whether California voters approve or reject Prop 50 will determine how embroiled the state will be in the national push for mid-census redistricting.

Learn more about Prop 50 from our previous coverage below:

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel