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Tag: Nov. 4

  • Election Day in Northern California: The latest on voting for Prop 50 redistricting measure

    California voters have one big ballot measure to consider this year. Here’s what you need to know about Proposition 50 and how it would impact the state. What is Proposition 50? If passed, it would change California’s congressional district map. Normally the map is drawn by an independent commission, but state Democrats drew *** new map to try and get more members of their party elected to Congress. It’s *** direct response to Texas changing their congressional maps in favor of electing more Republicans. *** yes vote would support changing the maps. The congressional districts will get redrawn in *** way that spreads out likely Democratic voters into areas that are normally solved Republican spots. *** no vote would keep the current maps in place. What are people saying about Prop 50? Well, supporters say it is *** crucial step in keeping President Trump’s power in check and counter his push to get other states to redraw their maps. Governor Gavin Newsom is behind this move. Because Republicans hold the majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, supporters of this measure say it would limit President Trump and his ability to pass items on his agenda. Opponents who are mostly members of the Republican Party say this is just *** power grab by the Democratic Party that would undermine *** fair election. 5 districts are likely to change from red to blue if Proposition 50 passes. District 1, currently represented by Doug LaMalfa. District 3 is represented by Kevin Kiley. District 22 is represented by David Valadaa. District 41 is currently held by Ken Calver. Lastly, District 48, which is held by Darrell Issa. Election day is November 4th, and ballots have already been mailed out. They must be returned or mailed in by that date for your vote to count.

    Special Election Day in Northern California: The latest on voting for Prop 50 redistricting measure

    See updates on Election Day.

    Updated: 12:01 AM PST Nov 4, 2025

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    Election Day has arrived for the special election. On Tuesday, Californians will decide whether to temporarily adopt new congressional district maps statewide, as Democratic leaders push to send more Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives.Proposition 50, or Prop 50 for short, is part of a larger national fight in which Republicans and Democrats are trying to gerrymander their congressional districts to determine which party controls Congress halfway through President Trump’s term. The proposed maps target five California Republicans in an attempt to offset the five Republicans Texas is aiming to add.(Video Above: What to know about California’s Prop 50)Some communities in Northern California also have other measures or local races to weigh in on, including some measures in El Dorado County and the town of Truckee and races in Plumas County.All polling locations will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you’re still in line when polls close, you should be able to cast your ballot. We’ll continue to update this page with updates from Election Day. Make sure to download our app for the latest breaking news updates with election results. What to know before polls open at 7 a.m.While voters can cast their ballot in person on Election Day, millions of California voters have already mailed in or dropped off their ballot. Here’s how to track your ballot. Here’s a look at early voter turnout across the state.Before heading out the door to vote, check if you are heading to the correct or closest voting location.Find out how to check here.Still need to learn more about Prop 50? Here’s everything to know.For those eager to head to the polls, make sure you know what you can and can’t do when it comes to voting in California. For example, you cannot wear pins, hats, shirts or other visible items that display a candidate’s name, image, logo or information about supporting or opposing a ballot measure. Here are more Election Day dos and don’ts.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Election Day has arrived for the special election.

    On Tuesday, Californians will decide whether to temporarily adopt new congressional district maps statewide, as Democratic leaders push to send more Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Proposition 50, or Prop 50 for short, is part of a larger national fight in which Republicans and Democrats are trying to gerrymander their congressional districts to determine which party controls Congress halfway through President Trump’s term. The proposed maps target five California Republicans in an attempt to offset the five Republicans Texas is aiming to add.

    (Video Above: What to know about California’s Prop 50)

    Some communities in Northern California also have other measures or local races to weigh in on, including some measures in El Dorado County and the town of Truckee and races in Plumas County.

    All polling locations will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you’re still in line when polls close, you should be able to cast your ballot.

    We’ll continue to update this page with updates from Election Day. Make sure to download our app for the latest breaking news updates with election results.

    What to know before polls open at 7 a.m.

    While voters can cast their ballot in person on Election Day, millions of California voters have already mailed in or dropped off their ballot.

    Before heading out the door to vote, check if you are heading to the correct or closest voting location.

    Still need to learn more about Prop 50?

    For those eager to head to the polls, make sure you know what you can and can’t do when it comes to voting in California.

    For example, you cannot wear pins, hats, shirts or other visible items that display a candidate’s name, image, logo or information about supporting or opposing a ballot measure. Here are more Election Day dos and don’ts.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • The facts about DOJ sending election monitors to CA, NJ

    The Trump administration is sending election monitors to New Jersey and California, two states where voters are casting ballots in politically contentious elections.

    The Justice Department will send monitors to Passaic County, New Jersey, and five California counties “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law” following Republicans’ requests in both states. 

    The move raised some Trump administration critics’ ire.

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta said state officials will monitor the monitors. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Trump administration has “no business” sending monitors for a state election and called the actions “voter intimidation” and “voter suppression.” 

    Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dillon told Newsom on X to “calm down.”

    “The Justice Department under Democrat administrations has sent in federal election observers for decades,” Dillon’s post said.

    That’s true — although at times Republicans resisted. 

    Election experts said monitors are a longstanding and legal federal practice. The Biden, Obama and Trump administrations sent election monitors in state or local elections. 

    “They’re just there to look,” said Justin Levitt, Loyola Law School professor who worked in the Biden administration. “To observe. That’s literally it.”

    Californians are voting on Proposition 50, which will determine the state’s congressional map.  In the New Jersey gubernatorial race, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill faces Republican former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli.

    The Justice Department mentioned no plans for monitors in other Nov. 4 elections in Virginia or New York City, where voters are casting ballots for governor and mayor, respectively.

    The department did not say how many monitors it will deploy in California and New Jersey.

    Federal monitors have visited election sites for decades

    Federal monitors have visited polling places since the Voting Rights Act’s 1965 passage. 

    The Justice Department decides where to send the monitors. The designees observe and take notes — in case the department pursues further action — and prevent federal law violations.

    Monitors work in the department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorneys’ offices. They are not law enforcement officers, and they don’t have access to ballots or voting machines. Monitors generally are experienced Justice Department attorneys, and it’s unlikely voters would notice them, said David Becker, executive director of The Center for Election Innovation & Research.

    They monitor compliance with several voting laws, including those that prevent voter suppression based on race. 

    Republican Jack Ciattarelli, left, and Democrat Mikie Sherrill participate in the final debate in the New Jersey governor’s race, Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (AP)

    Will monitors go inside voting sites?

    A Passaic County spokesperson said monitors will be only outside of polling locations.

    Ezra Rosenberg, director of appellate advocacy for the ACLU of New Jersey, said monitors typically remain outside polling places, but go inside if ordered by the court or invited by election officials. He called it unusual for the Justice Department to say it will monitor “ballot security” because typically the department monitors for Voting Rights Act compliance.

    Bob Page, the Orange County, California, registrar of voters, told PolitiFact that Justice Department lawyers are allowed the same access as the public to observe at vote centers and at ballot processing.  

    “It is common for us to have local, state, federal, and sometimes international observers, watching how we administer elections that are accessible, accurate, fair, secure, and transparent,” Page said.

    Officials in Fresno and Riverside counties in California provided similar statements about monitors’ access. 

    Why did Republicans request the election monitors? 

    New Jersey Republicans asked for monitors after the county board of elections blocked a Republican request to install video surveillance for stored ballots.

    In California, the state GOP said there have been irregularities in recent elections. We contacted the party to ask for details and received no reply.

    Groups such as the ACLU and the League of Women Voters in New Jersey maintain hotlines voters can call if they encounter problems. Groups monitoring voting rights encouraged eligible voters to cast their ballots as normal.

    “Voters can have full confidence in New Jersey elections and know that they have the right to vote without intimidation or interference,” said Jesse Burns, League of Women Voters of New Jersey executive director. “Department of Justice election monitoring is not unusual and they cannot interfere with a voter’s ability to cast a ballot.”

    RELATED: Are holes in California mail-in ballot envelopes so some votes can be discarded? That’s misleading

    RELATED: Fact-checking New Jersey’s second gubernatorial debate

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