2025 Riverside County Voter Guide: Prop 50

The November 4 special election is fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know.

Proposition 50 is the only measure on the statewide special election ballot. If approved, congressional maps drawn by the state’s nonpartisan citizen redistricting commission following the 2020 census would be set aside in favor of legislatively-drawn maps for the next three election cycles.

The plan has implications beyond the state’s borders, with the proposed maps expected to increase the number of California Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, which could tip the balance in next year’s midterm elections.

Currently, Riverside County voters are split among six congressional districts, two of which are fully contained within the county — the 39th District, represented by Mark Takano (D-Riverside), and the 41st District, represented by Ken Calvert (R-Corona). 

If Prop 50 passes, Riverside County voters would be split among seven congressional districts, with only Takano’s seat remaining fully contained within the county.

Support for the measure is split along party lines, both locally and throughout the state.

A “YES” vote means: The state would use the new legislatively-drawn congressional district maps starting in 2026 until after the 2030 U.S. Census when the California Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new maps.

A “NO” vote means: The state would continue to use the current congressional district maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission until new maps are drawn following the 2030 U.S. Census.

How to vote

All registered voters should have received a vote-by-mail ballot in the mail. If you have not yet received a vote-by-mail ballot, you can track your ballot, confirm your registration and register to vote here on the California Secretary of State’s website. 

Voters have until October 20 to register to vote, though they can register conditionally and cast a provisional ballot at a vote center through Election Day.

For those who have received a vote-by-mail ballot, they can be dropped off at any of the nearly 100 locations throughout the county between now and Election Day. A full listing of those locations can be found here on the Riverside County Registrar of Voters’ (ROV) website. 

Ballots can also be mailed through the United States Postal Service (USPS), but must be postmarked by November 4 and received by the ROV’s office by November 11.

Those who prefer to vote in person can do so at the ROV’s office, 2720 Gateway Drive, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. now through November 3. On Election Day, voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Roughly two dozen additional vote centers will open throughout the county on October 25 and operate between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 3. The remaining vote centers will open November 1 and will operate between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 3. On Election Day, November 4, all vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If there is a line at a vote center on Election Day, everyone in line before 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

A full listing of vote centers can be found in the Riverside County Voter Information Guide, which was mailed out last month, and can also be found here on the ROV’s website.

What happens after you cast your ballot?

Once a mail-in ballot is received by the ROV’s office, the outer envelope is checked to ensure there is no damage and that it has been signed. After that’s done, the ballots, still in their envelopes, are sent to a machine to be photographed for signature verification and are then sorted once verification is complete.

For envelopes that haven’t been signed or with signatures that cannot be verified by staff, a cure letter is sent to the voter to inform them of the issue and provide instructions on how to ensure their ballot is counted.

After the signature is verified, the ballot is separated from the outer envelope, flattened and prepared for scanning. If, for some reason, a ballot cannot be scanned, the ballot is sent to a team of ROV employees tasked with duplicating the ballot so it can be scanned and counted as the voter intended.

Once the ballots are scanned, they are saved to a local server that is not connected to the internet until Election Day when all ballots are counted and results are posted. 

Those who want to learn more about the process can reaad more here, watch the livestream of the entire process here on the ROV’s website or attend an election observer tour at the ROV’s office.

Tours are offered every Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon through Election Day. Reservations are encouraged, but not required, since tours are limited to 20 people. To reserve a spot, call the ROV’s office at 951-486-7200.