California voters on Tuesday endorsed a gambit to counter partisan gerrymandering by Republicans in Texas with a new congressional map designed to make it easier for Democrats to flip five GOP-held seats and boost their odds of holding several swing districts.
The Associated Press called the election for the “yes” side on the ballot measure known as Proposition 50 right after polls closed at 8 p.m. Pacific time and before any vote totals were reported.
Prop 50 amends the state constitution to allow the temporary use of a new Democrat-drawn congressional map. That’s a change from the state’s typical process, which relies on an independent citizens commission to draw district lines. The measure stipulates that the new map will remain in place only through 2030, or for the next three election cycles.
