Incorrect congressional maps sent to voters before the November election

Inaccurate Voter Guide Mailed to Californians

Californians recently received an incorrect voter guide questioning whether to redraw Congressional district boundaries ahead of the special election in November. A state agency announced plans to send out postcards with corrected information, an action expected to cost millions.

“The accuracy of voter information is essential to maintaining public confidence in California’s elections,” stated Secretary of State Shirley Weber. “We are taking prompt and transparent action to ensure that voters get the correct information. This misconception does not affect the proposed district, the vote, or the election process. It’s simply a labeling mistake. All eligible Californians can be fully confident that their votes are counted and their representatives are safe.”

The erroneous guide was part of the materials sent to registered voters regarding Proposition 50, a measure supported by Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democrats to raise the number of Democrats in Congress. The proposal was initiated in response to Republican efforts in Texas and other states, aiming to bolster the number of Republicans in the House at President Trump’s urging, allowing him to push his agenda during his final two years.

The special election is set for November 4, with mail-in ballots hitting mailboxes by early October.

On page 11 of the voter guide, the contentious council district, which comprises the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley, was mistakenly referenced as a council district by Rep. George Whiteside (D-Agua Dulce).

“It’s unfortunate that the entire state map in the voter guide was incorrect,” remarked Paul Mitchell, a Democratic district expert familiar with the new proposed district. “But the critical thing is that it’s accurate on the maps of LA County and Southern California,” he noted, indicating that residents in the area can see the correct proposed district.

With California having 23 million registered voters, it’s unclear whether the corrected postcards will be sent to individual voters or to their households. The Secretary of State did not comment on this matter Tuesday evening.

Even if postcards are mailed to households, the cost of postage could add up to millions, alongside the expenses for printing. The special election, which Congress requested in August, was already projected to cost taxpayers around $284 million.

Opponents of Proposition 50 have pointed to this error as proof that the vote measure was rushed. “When politicians push the Secretary of State to expedite elections, mistakes will happen,” said Amy Thoma, a spokesperson for a campaign opposing the measure. “It’s a shame this ends up costing taxpayers millions.”

Former state GOP chair Jessica Milan Patterson, leading another anti-Proposition 50 campaign backed by Congressional Republicans, emphasized that such errors are bound to occur when votes are hurriedly processed: “Prop. 50 was pushed through quickly by self-serving politicians, leading to significant mistakes and raising serious questions about what else might have been overlooked,” she remarked. “California taxpayers have already been burdened with nearly $300 million for a special election and now must pay again to rectify mistakes. Californians deserve transparency, not backroom dealings.”