Two minutes after the polls closed in California, CNN called the Prop 50 race at the starting gate, predicting that voters had approved the change in the state’s Congressional Districts.
At 8:15pm Nov. 4, with nearly 4,000 of the state’s 18,399 precincts counted, about 21%, the Secretary of State issued its first report, confirming the CNN prediction: 3.2 million votes in favor of redrawing congressional districts, with 1.6 million voting against the changes.
By 10:50pm, the ratio of YES-to-NO had stabilized: 4.7 million for Prop 50, and 2.6 million against. With 71% of the state’s ballots counted, this more than 2-million-vote margin remained, assuring victory for the redistricting plan.
As of 10am, the Secretary of State’s website reported that nearly 64% of voters said “yes” to Prop 50.
The victory was a watershed moment for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had proposed and pushed the measure, alone among Democratic governors.
In San Benito County, nearly 60% of voters cast “yes” ballots for Prop 50, according to local results posted 11pm Nov. 4 on the San Benito County Registrar of Voters website. A total of 11,497 people voted on the only item that was on the local ballot.
Prop 50 will suspend California’s current congressional maps, which were drawn by an independent citizens commission, and replace them through 2030 with districts drawn by Democratic insiders.
The plan will have little impact on South Valley congressional districts.
The big changes will occur in Marin and Sonoma and northern counties, where the current 1st District, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa, will be cut in half, with its coastal counties, including Sonoma and Marin, included in a revised 2nd District, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman. The plan also will change boundaries for LaMalfa’s 1st District and the 4th District, represented by Democrat Mike Thompson, creating two Democrat-majority districts.
The latest campaign financing reports for the Proposition 50 campaign showed that $50.4 million was raised to support the ballot measure and $44.3 million was raised in opposition to the congressional redistricting plan. Most of the money raised both for and against the Nov. 4 ballot measure came from fewer than 20 total contributors.
The top 10 contributors to Yes on 50, Governor Newsom’s Ballot Measure Committee, totaled 95% of the campaign’s money.
Topping the list were two national political action committees, the House Majority Political Action Committee for Prop 50, $16.4 million, and the Fund for Policy Reform, $10 million.
Funds remaining from the governor’s 2022 campaign contributed $2.6 million, and renowned Welsh billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz pitched in $2.5 million. Prominent billionaire philanthropist and Cargill heiress Gwendolyn Sontheim contributed $2 million.
Nearly 75% of the money raised to defeat the redistricting plan was contributed by wealthy atomic physicist Charles Munger Jr., who had donated $32.8 million as of Oct. 23.
Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber said although the results offer a clear picture of the Prop 50 voting outcome, elections officials will continue counting ballots over the next month.
“This is normal,” Weber said. “By law, county elections officials have 30 days to count every valid ballot and conduct a post-election audit. California elections officials prioritize the right to vote and election security over rushing the vote count. We have a process that by law ensures both voting rights and the integrity of elections, so I would call on all Californians to be patient.”
