A map labeling error in the voter guide requires the costly mailing of corrections—even as critics argue that the redistricting measure was rushed through.
California election officials will mail correction postcards after millions of voter information guides for the Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50 included a mislabeled congressional district on a statewide map, a typo the Secretary of State’s office says does not affect ballots or the voting process.
The mislabeling—District 27 was incorrectly labeled as District 22 on one page of the guide—was first disclosed last week. Weber’s office states that the online guide has been updated, and correction postcards will be sent to affected households.
Opponents argued the error underscores a hurried process around Proposition 50, the Newsom-backed measure that would temporarily replace the independent commission’s congressional map with a Legislature-approved plan for 2026–2030.
Former state GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson, who leads an anti-Proposition 50 effort, said, “California taxpayers are already on the hook for a nearly $300 million special election, and now they’re paying to fix mistakes too.”
Proposition 50 itself, championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would temporarily shift redistricting power back to the Legislature for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 cycles—a direct countermeasure to Republican-drawn maps in Texas.
Legal challenges already loom: Republicans have filed a suit alleging the measure defies constitutional requirements and undermines the authority of California’s independent redistricting commission.
Whether voters will punish the error, or the proposal it accompanies, remains to be seen.
