Key ballot measures in California and New York attract attention

Voters in California and New York will vote on key ballot measures Tuesday, with some of them drawing national attention for their importance.

Both measures could have ripple effects far beyond their borders, influencing control of Congress and reshaping the way America’s largest city runs elections. Together, these proposals offer voters in the nation’s two largest blue bastions a chance to reshape how political power and housing policy are decided.

Read on to learn more about each of the key metrics.

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California Proposition 50

The most notable ballot measure voted on is Proposition 50 in California, where residents decide whether to pass a ballot proposition that would significantly change the state’s congressional districts. The move puts the left-wing state at the forefront of the high-stakes political fight over redistricting.

California state lawmakers this summer approved a special proposal on the November ballot aimed at seeking voter approval to temporarily hijack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return congressional map-drawing power to the Democratic-dominated Legislature.

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Polling booths and voters are seen in a polling place. (Graeme Sloan for The Washington Post/Getty Images)

The effort, which could create five additional Democratic-leaning districts, aims to counter the adoption in the red state of Texas of a new map that aims to create up to five right-wing seats in the House. Failure to approve the measure would be a bitter setback for Democrats.

Supporters and opponents of Proposition 50 said they had raised more than $215 million as of Oct. 2, with much of the money going to pay for a barrage of advertising on both sides.

One of the two main groups opposing Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats calls its efforts “Stopping the Sacramento Power Takeover.”

The former governor is also entering the fight. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican governor of California.

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Governor Gavin Newsom attends a bill signing event related to redrawing state congressional maps, August 21, 2025, in Sacramento, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“That’s what they want to do, is take us backwards. That’s why it’s important that you vote no on Proposition 50,” Schwarzenegger said in an ad against Proposition 50. “Democracy, we have to protect it, and we have to fight for it.”

When voters go to the polls, a “yes” vote will approve the Newsom-backed plan to redraw the maps starting in 2026 and a “no” vote would keep the existing maps.

New York City Proposition 6

In addition to deciding who will be the city’s next mayor, 5.1 million registered voters in New York will also vote on a measure, known as Question 6, that would move election dates for municipal offices to the same year as federal presidential elections.

According to the city official election website“’Yes’ moves municipal elections to the same year as federal presidential elections, where state law allows. “No” leaves the laws unchanged. »

Proponents of coinciding the election with federal elections argue that this would increase turnout and thus produce results more representative of the electorate as a whole.

Opponents say key local issues will be buried in national politics if the election is moved.

Ballot measures related to housing in New York

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“I voted today” stickers (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Affordable housing is perhaps the most talked about campaign issue in New York and voters will be asked two questions related to that topic when they go to polling places on Tuesday.

Proposition 2 is intended as a way to accelerate the creation of affordable housing in the city.

“This proposal would establish two new processes to expedite certain affordable housing projects,” New York City said. election website said. “The first process is for publicly funded affordable housing projects. The second process is for affordable housing projects in the 12 community districts with the lowest affordable housing development rates.”

Proposition 4 in New York is described by the collection committee as a vote to “establish an affordable housing appeals board with representation from the council, borough and city.”

“This proposal would change the current land use review process when the City Council rejects or modifies an affordable housing project,” the measure reads.

“The proposal would create an affordable housing appeals board, comprised of the local borough president, the city council president and the mayor. The proposal would allow the appeals board to overturn the city council’s decision with a two-to-one vote.”

Housing is also the focus of Proposition 3, “where a yes vote” “simplifies consideration of limited land use changes, including modest housing and minor infrastructure projects” and a “no” vote is described as a vote that “leaves these changes subject to longer review, with a final decision by the City Council.”