California voters approve new U.S. House map with up to 5 more Democratic seats

California voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure that would implement a new congressional map drawn to elect more Democrats to the U.S. House.

The new map, drawn and passed by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature and pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, could help flip five seats from Republican to Democratic in next year’s midterm elections. The map would be in place for the next three election cycles.

The measure was introduced in response to Texas’ midcycle redistricting, which also aims to flip five seats to elect more Republicans. The ballot measure, known as Proposition 50, directs California’s independent redistricting commission to resume enacting congressional maps in 2031.