Santa Barbara County residents should soon receive their ballots for the special state election on Nov. 4 to cast their vote on Proposition 50.
If approved, California would adopt a temporary new congressional district map intended to favor Democrats.
Claire VanBlaricum and Shane Stark with the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara held a virtual forum Tuesday night to share information about the origins of the proposition, how district maps are made and the opposing views on Proposition 50.
Earlier this year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a special election in response to Texas and Missouri redistricting that favors Republicans and potentially could add more Republican representatives to Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
VanBlaricum explained that if approved, the new California maps would change the percentage of registered Republicans and Democrats in many districts.
“Democrats would have an advantage in five districts currently represented by Republicans,” VanBlaricum said. “More Democrats would be pulled into five swing districts currently represented by Democrats, giving them a greater margin.”
Opponents argue that the proposition is a power grab by politicians, hurts fair representation and opens the door for politicians to permanently control district lines, VanBlaricum said.
Prominent opponents include Charles Munger Jr., Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin McCarthy, the California Business Roundtable, the Congressional Leadership Fund and the California Republican Party.
Supporters say Proposition 50 is a temporary emergency plan to stop attempts to rig the 2026 election and make sure Republicans don’t have an unfair advantage in Congress, Stark said.
Prominent supporters include former President Barack Obama, California Professional Firefighters, the California Federation of Teachers, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Democratic Party.
Santa Barbara County will remain in Congressional District 24, which will not significantly change under the proposed map.
“The vast majority of the changes that are proposed are in the northern and eastern part of the state,” VanBlaricum said.
The Public Policy Institute of California estimates that the new map would add up to five Democrat representatives and reduce the number of competitive races in upcoming elections.
New maps are usually drawn every 10 years after the U.S. Census.
Stark explained that before 2008, district lines for Congress, state Senate and state Assembly were drawn by state legislators. After Proposition 11 was passed in 2010, the authority to draw congressional maps was transferred to an independent redistricting commission known as the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
The commission is made up of five Democrats, five Republicans and four people not affiliated with either party, according to VanBlaricum.
The state started to mail out ballots on Monday. Residents should contact the Santa Barbara County Elections Office if they don’t receive a ballot by Oct. 15.
While Oct. 20 is the last day to register to vote, residents can register on election day at the County Elections Office or their local polling place.
Ballot drop-off boxes are now open throughout the county.
Click here to find your polling place.
Click here for a list of ballot drop-off boxes in Santa Barbara County.
