Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Prop 50, But Trump Admin Still Sues CA

Photo: @GeneforTexas

SACRAMENTO, CA -The administration of US President Donald Trump on November 13, moved to block California’s new congressional map by suing the state and joining a Republican lawsuit against Prop 50, a voter-approved measure that could shift several US House seats in the 2026 mid-term elections.

On November 4, Californians approved Prop 50 with over 64 percent of voters in favor, based on figures compiled from official returns by Ballotpedia.

The federal government asked judges in the Central District of California to bar the new districts from being used in the 2026 election cycle and to declare that Prop 50 was adopted in a way that abridges voting rights on account of race, according to Democracy Docket’s summary of the DOJ motion and complaint.

The measure was designed as a response to mid-decade redistricting efforts in Republican-led states and directives reportedly from the White House led by Trump to Texas, which did the same thing.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislative package on August 21, calling it the ‘Election Rigging Response Act’. He said Californians deserved a chance to “fight back” against what he described as Trump’s efforts to undermine the democratic process.

The “Yes on 50” campaign, funded by Newsom’s ballot-measure committee and supported by the California Democratic Party and major labor and civil rights organizations, urged voters to adopt what it called “temporary, emergency congressional district maps to counter Donald Trump’s scheme to rig next year’s congressional election,” according to the campaign website.

Local news outlets said the new map could offset Republican gains from redistricting in states such as Texas. Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies estimated that the districts may give Democrats a chance to gain up to five additional US House seats, though final results will depend on future elections.

On November 12, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which helped develop the map, was granted permission by the court to intervene in ‘Tangipa v. Newsom’ to defend Prop 50. (IANS)