Voters across the state are headed to the ballot box today and tomorrow to decide whether or not they want to give Democrats an advantage to win five of California’s 52 congressional seats in next year’s election.

If voters approve the move, it also means Congressman Ken Calvert and Congresswoman Young Kim would be in the same district encompassing a part of OC— setting up a potential run against each other. 

Tuesday’s special election on Prop. 50 –  a statewide redistricting measure – will determine whether state legislators get to redraw congressional voting maps till the end of the decade in a state where Republicans currently hold nine U.S. House of Representatives seats.

[Read: Which Way Will OC Swing on California’s Congressional Redistricting Election?]

It’s a practice California voters stopped more than a decade ago and handed to an independent state commission made up of a mix of Democrats, Republicans and members registered with neither political party.

The Democratic Party of Orange County hands out fliers to volunteers canvassing Orange County. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Mike Moodian, a political science professor at Chapman University who also monitors local politics, said Prop. 50 will have a strong impact on Orange County.

“It will help the Democratic incumbents in Orange County. It’s going to help Dave Min. It’s going to help Derek Tran, it’ll help Mike Levin. It will improve democratic registration numbers in their respective districts,” he said in a Thursday phone interview.

“It will be very good for Democrats in 2026, if Prop. 50 passes on Tuesday.”

If the proposition is adopted, the state commission would resume drawing up congressional maps in California in 2030 based on U.S. census data.

To view an interactive version of the Prop. 50 map, click here.

Impacts on Orange County

Opponents of Proposition 50 rally at the Huntington Beach Pier on Nov. 1, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Moodian said one of the biggest impacts of Prop. 50 is coming to Huntington Beach, which will now be a part of Congressman Robert Garcia’s district. 

“Huntington Beach, which is kind of ground zero for the MAGA movement at least in California, would then be represented by the incumbent who represents the Long Beach area right now,” he said. 

“It would be easier for a Democrat to represent Huntington Beach.”

While Huntington Beach city council members have been outspoken supporters of President Donald Trump and repeatedly spoken out on issues like immigration and local control of housing, Garcia is an outspoken Democrat, calling Trump the “most corrupt person to ever be president.” 

In a Wednesday interview, Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns said Garcia was “not really representative of our community.” 

“I remember when Garcia was just a beginner councilman in Long Beach,” Burns said, who also was a Long Beach PD officer before he retired. “He’s developed into quite a mouthpiece for the left and he’s not going to be a friend to Huntington Beach.” 

Garcia celebrated Prop 50 at the No Kings Protest in Santa Ana this month, saying his goal was to help Democrats get elected to every city council and school board seat. 

“I’m taking on more Republicans than any Democrat in the state of California,” Garcia said. “When they asked me ‘are you willing to do it?’ I said absolutely. Bring it the fuck on.”

Moodian said the new maps could also pit two incumbent Republicans against each other in the 2026 election – Reps Kim and Calvert.

“One Republican would no longer be in Congress if those two have to face off against each other,” he said.

“It increases the advantage in terms of a Republican registration in the district that Kim represents but then we’ll likely see the loss of a Republican incumbent.”

Opponents of Proposition 50 rally at the Huntington Beach Pier on Nov. 1, 2025. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

A spokesperson for Calvert’s campaign said he was “100% focused on defeating Prop 50,” in a Thursday statement, declining to answer questions about his possible run against Kim. 

Kim did not return requests for comment. 

Under the Prop 50 map, residents currently living in the district Calvert represents would be split into a new 40th district encompassing parts of Orange County — like Anaheim Hills — and a new 48th district encompassing parts of Riverside and San Diego Counties.

Where Does OC Stand on Redistricting?

Democrats in support of the measure argue Prop. 50 is a necessary response to a similar redistricting effort in Texas that favors Republican candidates in what they call a power grab by President Donald Trump.

They also argue it’s a chance to push back against the Trump administration’s federal immigration crackdown and cuts to healthcare.

Florice Hoffman, chairwoman of the OC Democratic Party, said congressional races will still remain competitive in Orange County. 

“Dave Min and Derek Tran’s seats become more democratic as well as Mike Levin,” she said in a phone interview last month.

“We still need to work the voters because there are plenty of independent voters, non non-partisan voters in Orange County. We’ll get Robert Garcia in some of the district who will be fighting for us in Washington.”

The Democratic Party of Orange County held a rally this past weekend aimed at bringing voters to the polls. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Republicans argue Prop. 50 is gerrymandering, allowing politicians to draw up maps in favor of their reelection while separating neighborhoods and communities.

Will O’Neill, chairman of the OC Republican Party, said the measure will increase the number of members of congress representing Orange County – spreading out federal resources.

“We currently have six members of Congress representing Orange County, and Proposition 50 would make that eight, which means that the ability to have federal support gets spread out pretty significantly,” he said in a phone interview last month.

O’Neill also said it will split up communities.

“The lines are so ridiculous that you have two streets in Mission Viejo where if you live on one side, it’s in one congressional district, and if you live on the other side of the street, you’re in a different congressional district,” he said.

“These lines were drawn specifically for the purpose of ensuring a much farther left demographic of congressmen, rather than making sure that we’re keeping communities whole.”

In Orange County, elected officials in a host of cities have written letters or adopted resolutions against the proposition including Huntington Beach, Orange, Westminster, Seal Beach, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo and Yorba Linda.

[Read: Where Does Orange County Stand on California’s Nov. 4 Redistricting Battle?]

The Orange County Board of Supervisors along with officials in Irvine, Cypress, Fountain Valley and Stanton also considered opposing the redistricting measure but ultimately decided not to take a formal stance.

[Read: More Orange County Officials Weigh In on California’s Redistricting Proposal]

Santa Ana City Council members are the only ones in OC to adopt a resolution in support of the proposition.

According to the OC Registrar of Voters, there are over 1.9 million people registered to vote in Orange County with 36% registered as Democrats, 34% registered as Republicans and 23% registered as No Party Preference voters.

​​Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.

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