Proposition 50 approved by Napa County and California voters
California voters have approved Proposition 50, California’s measure to redraw congressional districts, according to statewide election results.
As of Tuesday evening, the measure was sailing to victory, with 64.7 percent of Californians voting “yes” and 35.3 percent, voting “no.”
In Napa County, voters may have approved the measure by a 2-to-1 margin, according to preliminary results. Voting began early October. Nearly 68 percent of Napa County’s early voters had cast their ballot in favor of the measure, according to results the Napa County Elections Office released a little after 8 p.m. Tuesday. About 32 percent of these ballots opposed the measure.
About 40 percent of the vote-by-mail ballots had been returned, Registrar of Voters John Tuteur said shortly after polls closed on Tuesday.
Voters could drop off their ballots at various locations in Napa County. They could also vote in Napa, St. Helena and American Canyon until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
How many ballots were cast Tuesday? “A lot,” Tuteur said as poll workers arrived with ballots to be tabulated ballots at the Elections Office at the Hall of Justice in Napa.
Gov. Gavin Newsom led the campaign to pass Proposition 50 after Texas redrew congressional maps to add five additional Republican districts in the state ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections. Texas did so at the request of President Trump in an effort to preserve U.S. House of Representatives’ Republican majority.
California’s independent redistricting commission is set to resume reviewing congressional districts’ boundaries after the 2030 U.S. Census.
The new Congressional map is valid for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.
Opponents, including former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, opposed taking away power from the bipartisan redistricting commission.
The “No on Prop 50” campaign urged voters to oppose the measure, citing the special election’s $200 million price tag and calling the gerrymandering effort a power grab by politicians.
If re-elected in 2026, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, will continue to represent Napa County in its entirety. His district will change, however. In addition to Napa County, Thompson will also represent Colusa, Sutter and Yuba counties as well as parts of Lake, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo and Sonoma counties.
On Tuesday, in Napa County, a steady stream of voters cast their ballots up until 8 p.m. when the polls closed.
“I’m happy,” said Cita Elena Martinez, who was naturalized six years ago, after voting at the Hall of Justice just before the 8 p.m. deadline.
American Canyon’s vote center was at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites. Polls stayed drama free at both the walk-up voting booths and the drive-through ballot drop just outside in the parking lot.
While the dozens of American Canyon voters surveyed by the American Canyon Current leaned “Yes” on Prop. 50, there was a solid “No” vote representation. A majority of “No” votes hinged on the proposition being wasteful.
In Calistoga, voters cast their ballots in a drop box set up near Cal-Mart.
Brennan Kelly, of Calistoga, said he voted “yes” on Proposition 50.
“I think it’s unfair what Texas and the rest of the country is doing, giving themselves more seats,” Kelly said as he dropped his ballot at the official drop box near Cal-Mart. ““It’s a shame they had to do it in the first place,” Kelly said of the measure, which he hoped would “even things out.”
Matt Smith, of Calistoga, said he voted “no” on Proposition 50. “I don’t like the way the whole system works anyway, but at the end of the day, I didn’t think it was worth doing,” Smith said.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to redistrict on these terms,” Smith said. “I think it should be an accurate representation of the districts of our area, and I didn’t feel like this was the way to do that. It’s a response to what another state is doing, and I didn’t think that was the right reason to do it.”
The Napa County Board of Supervisors has endorsed Prop. 50. Supervisor Belia Ramos, who campaigned for the proposition, on Tuesday morning felt confident the measure would pass. Among other factors, Ramos cited the impact of the federal government shutdown on the community. The outreach to educate voters has been “absolutely incredible,” Ramos said.
Democratic candidates in major races in New Jersey, New York and Virginia also won Tuesday. Zohran Mamdani won the New York City’s mayoral race. Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman, won the governor’s race in Virginia while Mikie Sherrill, a U.S. representative, won the governor’s race in New Jersey.
On Tuesday evening, Ramos was radiant as she met other Democrats gathered for an election watch party at The Garden downtown Napa.
“If New York and New Jersey are any indication, we’re in good shape,” Ramos said, referring to Tuesday’s Democratic wins in the two Northeastern states.
Terry Beck, president of Napa Valley Democrats, who was celebrating her 76th birthday was also pleased. “Our side did well,” she said.
