California Voters Approve Proposition 50 to Redraw Congressional Maps

California voters have given the green light to Proposition 50, which allows the state to redraw the congressional map to thwart a redistricting plan in the state of Texas. It will be in effect for the next three congressional election cycles and is expected to add Democratic seats to California’s 52-seat delegation, only nine of which are currently held by Republicans.

This is a big victory for California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and the state’s Democratic Party.

However, not all news is good news when it comes to specific issues facing the state or even whether Californians want to see their governor run for president.

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According to preliminary results from the Fox News voter poll, on the issue of redistricting itself, Golden State voters who overwhelmingly supported redrawing the maps said they did so to thwart changes made by Republicans in other states, rather than because they thought it was the best way to draw congressional districts.

Most voters said the reason they voted yes on Proposition 50 was to counter GOP map changes underway across the country. (Fox News)

In contrast, a much smaller number of people who voted “no” said they did so because they didn’t think it was the best way to divvy up congressional districts, rather than being motivated to prevent Democrats from gaining more congressional seats.

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More than half of California voters said Proposition 50 was not the best way to draw district lines. (Fox News)

Meanwhile, the vast majority of voters generally think a nonpartisan commission should draw districts, as opposed to the ruling party — which is ironic since such a commission is exactly what is anticipated by today’s vote.

Voters overwhelmingly agreed that congressional district boundaries should be drawn by a nonpartisan commission. (Fox News)

When asked what they generally think about states redrawing their congressional districts in response to how other states have drawn theirs, most California voters oppose the idea — again, which is unusual since that’s exactly what they voted for with Proposition 50.

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More than half of voters said they opposed redrawing congressional district boundaries in response to other states redrawing their congressional maps. (Fox News)

More than half of Golden Staters approve of the job Newsom is doing as governor.

California voters were divided on how they viewed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s job performance. (Fox News)

Yet on whether Newsom should run for president in 2028, more than half said it was not a good idea.

Voters were divided on whether they wanted to see Gov. Gavin Newsom run for president, although about half approved of his performance as governor. (Fox News)

Even so, he outperforms former Vice President Kamala Harris on this measure, as voters in California’s special election would prefer she stay away — by more than two to one.

Just over a quarter of voters said they would like to see former Vice President Kamala Harris run for president again. (Fox News)

Was President Donald Trump a factor in the success of Prop 50? The president remains deeply unpopular in the state, with nearly two-thirds disapproving of the job he is doing.

Just over half of California voters say they disapprove of President Trump’s job performance. (Fox News)

Half of voters said they did it specifically to show their opposition to him.

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About half of California voters said their opposition to President Donald Trump was the reason they voted on Proposition 50. (Fox News)

Meanwhile, California voters reject Trump’s immigration control policies, with more than six in ten saying they have gone too far.

The Fox News Voter Poll measured California’s views on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement. (Fox News)

A similar number oppose sending the National Guard to American cities.

Just over half of voters said they were opposed to the federal government’s decision to send National Guard troops to California’s big cities. (Fox News)

And those voters who oppose Trump and his policies also overwhelmingly supported Proposition 50 — in some cases by more than nine to one. It can be pointed out, however, that Trump lost California by more than 20 points in 2024, and his disapproval may be exaggerated among voters in that particular electorate.

For all their negative feelings about Trump, it’s not all candy and rainbows about how Californians see things at home.

The economy was by far their top issue, but the view of the Golden State’s economy is not so positive, with more than six in 10 saying the state’s economy is “not good” or in poor shape.

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More than half of voters said they had a negative view of California’s economy. (Fox News)

The vast majority – almost nine in ten – also say their family’s financial situation is either stable or declining. Only about one in ten people feel like they are moving forward.

Just over half of voters said their family was financially stable. (Fox News)

Additionally, more than eight in ten people lamented the cost of living in California, calling it unaffordable.

Most voters surveyed said the cost of living in their area was unaffordable. (Fox News)

Another eight in ten said crime was a problem.

Voters overwhelmingly said crime in their area was a problem. (Fox News)

However, Californians are worried, they are also disturbed by the state of the nation.

More than seven in 10 people say they are unhappy with the way things are going in the United States, and nearly half are angry about the direction the country is heading.

Nearly half of California voters said they were unhappy with the current situation in the United States. (Fox News)

More than nine in ten people say they are concerned about political violence in the United States.

An overwhelming number of voters are concerned about the levels of political violence seen in the United States. (Fox News)

Those concerns appear to be playing out in the vote to redraw the congressional map, with more than nine in 10 people saying it was important to them which party controls Congress.

An overwhelming number of voters said it matters which party controls Congress. (Fox News)

Black voters, young voters, Hispanics and college graduates were among the most likely to support Proposition 50, while the most likely to oppose it were voters without a college degree, voters aged 65 and older and independents.

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Methodology

THE Fox News Voter Poll is based on a survey of registered voters in California conducted by SSRS. This survey was conducted from October 22 to November 4, 2025 and concluded when voting ended on Election Day. Once the votes are counted, the survey results are also weighted to match each state’s overall results. Results among more than 4,000 California voters surveyed have an estimated margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points, including design effects. The margin of error is greater among subgroups.