Key takeaways<\/p>\n
\n\tYour vote matters. Proposition 50 could authorize temporary changes to the state\u2019s congressional district maps through 2030, in response to the Texas Legislature passing a bill to adopt new maps for the 2026 midterm elections.
\n\tYou have options. Learn about the different ways your voice can be represented.
\n\tYou can get involved. There are many opportunities to engage in this election.
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What is a special election?<\/p>\n
On November 4, 2025, California will hold a statewide special election, which is an irregularly scheduled election most commonly used to fill unexpected vacancies in public elected offices or to address urgent legislative matters. In this case, California voters will decide on Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, which would replace the current congressional map with one that creates five new majority-Democrat districts.<\/p>\n
What is on the ballot?<\/p>\n
Proposition 50 is a measure that redraws the state\u2019s congressional district maps. Every 10 years after the U.S. Census is completed, states draw district maps to reflect their number of House representatives. This proposition, put on the ballot by California Legislature, is in response to the Texas Legislature passing a bill that redrew its congressional map to add five new districts that would favor the Republican Party in the 2026 midterm election. The dueling partisan redistricting efforts \u2014 part of a multi-state push to shift party representation \u2014 have high-stakes political implications in deciding which party will control the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the governor is doing is creating the political opportunity for the state legislature and, ultimately, the voters to approve a new set of maps in California,\u201d said Matt Barreto,<\/a> a political scientist and co-founder of the UCLA Voting Rights Project.<\/a><\/p>\n As you consider your position on this issue \u2013 or prepare to vote in any election \u2013 it is important to analyze a diverse range of sources. Hearing from multiple perspectives will enable you to make a more thoughtful decision.<\/p>\n \u201cReaching an informed decision depends on our breaking out of our \u2018echo chambers\u2019 and considering the arguments both for and against,\u201d said Stuart Soroka,<\/a> a UCLA professor of communication and political science.<\/p>\n Preparing to vote: Making informed decisions<\/p>\n To better understand the proposal, helpful analysis can be found from several sources, including:<\/p>\n Events and workshops<\/p>\n If you want to learn more about the importance of this election and how your vote could shape the future of democracy, look no further than UCLA\u2019s Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement<\/a> (CLDE) upcoming programs.<\/p>\n
Additionally, on October 22, the Undergraduate Student Association Council and Graduate Students Association will host\u00a0a nonpartisan civic forum event<\/a>\u00a0on Proposition 50. Open to UCLA students, there will be complimentary food, voting resources, and community.<\/p>\n When, where and how to vote<\/p>\n In California, the deadline to register to vote for any election is 15 days before Election Day; the last day to register for this election is October 20. Voters still have the option of utilizing same-day, or conditional, voter registration, but will have to do so in person at their county elections office or at any in-person voting location.<\/p>\n If you are unsure about your registration, the California Secretary of State website<\/a> allows residents to check if and where they are registered to vote, along with political party preference, language preference and the status of vote-by-mail or provisional ballots.<\/p>\n If you live on campus, make sure to check that you\u2019re using the correct address.<\/a> Once you\u2019re registered, you can either vote by mail or find a voting center near you.<\/p>\n Vote by mail<\/p>\n Active voters who register in California by the deadline will automatically receive a vote-by-mail ballot for each election, which can be dropped off at any of the following locations:<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget that ballots must be deposited on or before Election Day and received by November 12. You can visit this website<\/a> to track your vote-by-mail ballot and see that it was properly counted.<\/p>\n Voting in person<\/p>\n If you did not vote by mail or require same-day voter registration, you can find your polling place<\/a> and vote in person by Election Day. Or, you can even place your ballot right outside your doorstep.<\/p>\n On your way to your next lecture, stop by Kerckhoff Hall\u2019s Grand Salon<\/a> or the Hammer Museum’s Bay-Nimoy Studio<\/a> in Westwood to vote in person or drop off your vote-by-mail ballot. Plus, don\u2019t miss the Special Election Soiree<\/a> from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on October 23 at the Kerckhoff Coffee House Patio where you can enjoy food and live music, all while learning nonpartisan information about Proposition 50 from community partners.<\/p>\n This event is organized by\u00a0Associated Students UCLA and\u00a0BruinsVote,<\/a> a nonpartisan coalition of students, student organizations and campus partners that strives to encourage a civically engaged campus community through voter registration, education and mobilization.<\/p>\n Additional resources<\/p>\n For more information on preparing to vote, how to make an informed decision, election logistics, how to get involved or any additional questions, visit the CLDE\u2019s campus<\/a> and external<\/a> resources page, as well as the California Secretary of State website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Key takeaways
Your vote matters. Proposition 50 could authorize temporary changes to the state\u2019s congressional district maps…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,989,13,3183],"class_list":{"0":"post-16333","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news","11":"tag-elections","12":"tag-politics","13":"tag-students"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\tOn October 21, CLDE and the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles will break down the pros and cons of Proposition 50, provide election information and answer questions in a nonpartisan virtual event. RSVP here <\/a>for the digital event.
\n\tOn October 28, former California Attorney General and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra will discuss the importance of protecting democracy and 2025 redistricting efforts in California, Texas, Missouri and elsewhere at an event hosted by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Admission is free, but registration is required.<\/a>
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