SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Democratic Party (CADEM) today celebrated the decisive passage of Proposition 50, a landmark victory for democracy and a clear rebuke of Trump and Republican efforts to rig the 2026 midterm elections.
“Tonight, California sent a message loud and clear: we will always stand up for free and fair elections and make sure that the voices of California’s voters are heard,” said Rusty Hicks, Chair of the California Democratic Party. “When Republicans try to rig the rules to hold onto power, California Democrats organize, mobilize, and win.”
Proposition 50, the Election Rigging Response Act, safeguards fair representation in Congress by ensuring that Californians’ voices can’t be silenced by partisan gerrymandering started in states like Texas.
Over the past 11 weeks, CADEM led an unprecedented grassroots organizing effort to turn out millions of voters in an off-year special election.
Over 22,000 CADEM volunteers knocked on more than 330,000 doors, made 4.7 million calls and had more than 225,000 conversations to mobilize Democrats and Independents statewide. CADEM’s outreach efforts focused on key constituencies, including the Black, Latino, and AAPI communities and also included in-language voter contact efforts in Spanish and several AAPI languages.
“Every phone call, every conversation, every door knock made this victory possible,” added Hicks. “California Democrats proved that once again the road to retaking the House of Representatives runs through California.”
The California Democratic Party is more than 10 million members strong, the largest state party in the nation.
PROP 50:
- LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD: Prop 50 makes sure the next elections are conducted on a level playing field without an unfair advantage for Republicans.
- COMMITS TO FAIR REDISTRICTING: Prop 50 reaffirms California’s commitment to independent redistricting and calls on all states to commit to fair and impartial maps.
- GIVES VOTERS THE POWER: Prop 50 puts the power in the hands of the People of California to approve emergency congressional district maps.
- IS FAIR AND PROPORTIONAL: PROP 50 provides emergency maps only because Republicans moved forward with their power grab.
- IS TEMPORARY: The maps expire in 2030. Prop 50 preserves California’s award-winning redistricting reforms and reaffirms the California Redistricting Commission’s authority to draw congressional districts after the next census.
