MENDOCINO CO., 10/5/25 – Ballots for the statewide special election on congressional redistricting will be mailed to registered voters in Mendocino County starting Monday.
Voters will decide Proposition 50, which would suspend congressional district maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission until 2030 and replace them with new maps drawn to give Democrats an advantage. The proposal comes after Texas lawmakers redrew that state’s districts to favor Republicans.
Normally, congressional district boundaries are redrawn every 10 years following the U.S. Census. The next Census is scheduled for 2030, but Texas lawmakers redrew their maps early at the request of former President Donald Trump, who sought to give Republicans an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections. One Texas legislator said Republicans acted “because we can.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom called for California to respond in kind to protect Democratic representation. However, unlike Texas, California lawmakers cannot directly redraw district lines. A 2008 constitutional amendment transferred that power to the state’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission — a system that House Speaker Mike Johnson said would prevent California from “countering” Texas’s move.
If approved, Proposition 50 would amend the state constitution to suspend the commission for the next two congressional elections.
Mendocino County’s Registrar of Voters will open its in-person voting center in Ukiah on Monday. Voters can cast ballots in person outside Room 1020 at the County Administration Center, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center will be closed Monday, Oct. 13, for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
In-person voting will also be available on Election Day, Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the voting center and at more than 20 polling places throughout the county.
Ballots may be dropped off at any official drop box beginning Monday through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Drop box locations are as follows:
- Boonville: Mendocino County Fairgrounds, 14400 Highway 128
- Fort Bragg: City Hall, 416 N. Franklin St.
- Hopland: Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, 3000 Shanel Road
- Point Arena: City Hall, 451 School St.
- Ukiah: County Administrative Office, 501 Low Gap Road
- Ukiah: Civic Center, 300 Seminary Blvd.
- Willits: City Hall, 111 E. Commercial St.
Residents have until Oct. 20 to register to vote. Voters who have moved are asked to re-register with their new address. Visit https://registertovote.ca.gov/ for more information.
More information about the election and a list of voting locations can be found at https://www.mendocinocounty.gov/government/assessor-county-clerk-recorder-elections/elections/election-candidate-information and at the California Secretary of State’s website https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/statewide-special-nov-4-2025.
CalMatters Voter Guide 2025
What you need to know to vote in California’s Nov. 4 special election on redistricting. Find out more here.
