These California counties won by Trump in 2024 supported Prop. 50 in the special election. Here's what to know

A majority of voters in seven California counties won by President Trump in 2024  also supported Proposition 50 in a special election earlier this month, helping pass the redistricting measure championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats. 

Data show that ballots cast to approve Prop. 50 — which passed with 64% of the vote — outnumbered "no" votes in Fresno, Imperial, Lake, Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Joaquin counties, each of which was carried by Mr. Trump in the last presidential election. No California counties that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election voted no on Proposition 50, according to data from the California Secretary of State's Office (SOS) for both elections.

Prop. 50 temporarily redraws five of the state's Republican-held congressional districts to make them more favorable to being won by Democrats in the 2026 midterms. It was placed on the ballot by Democratic lawmakers hoping to offset redistricting efforts in Texas that flipped five Democratic districts to Republican.

According to the measure, the nonpartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission will resume drawing the state's congressional maps after the 2030 U.S. Census. 

It remains unclear why a majority of voters in the seven counties Trump won cast their ballots in support of Prop. 50. An October CBS News poll conducted before the election found that 75% of the likely voters surveyed who planned to vote for Prop. 50 said one of the reasons they were doing so was to oppose Mr. Trump. Seventy percent of likely voters polled who were voting "yes" on the measure said another reason they were doing so was to oppose national Republicans.

Here's what to know about the California counties where most voters approved Prop. 50:

Fresno

Fresno County, the second-most-populous county in California's Central Valley, voted for a Republican in a presidential election for the first time in 20 years in 2024, with 51% of the vote going to Mr. Trump, according to the California Secretary of State's (SOS) Office.

In the Nov. 4 special election, 51% of Fresno County voters said "Yes" to Prop. 50, according to state data as of Nov. 12, narrowly surpassing the 49% of voters who rejected the measure.

Imperial

Sitting on the southern border, Imperial County is 85% Latino, according to 2023 U.S. Census data. In the 2024 presidential election, Mr. Trump won the county with 49% of the vote, according to data from the SOS, making him the first Republican presidential candidate to do so since 1988. 

In the Nov. 4 special election, 60% of Imperial County voters approved Proposition 50, as of Nov. 12.

Lake

Lake County, which contains Clear Lake and a portion of California's Wine Country, voted Republican last year in a presidential election for the first time since Ronald Reagan carried the county in 1984.

Mr. Trump narrowly won the county in 2024. Proposition 50 passed there with 52% of the vote, as of Nov. 12.

Merced

The Central Valley's Merced County has started leaning more conservative in recent years. After voting Democrat in every presidential election since 2008, the county voted to recall Newsom in 2021 and voted against him in 2022.

In the 2024 presidential election, 51% of the vote went to Mr. Trump. The county approved Proposition 50 with 54% of voters saying yes, as of Nov. 13.

Riverside

Democrats won Riverside County in presidential elections from 2008 to 2020. But in 2024, Mr. Trump narrowly defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris, receiving 49% to 48%.

"Yes" on Prop. 50, however, received 56% of the vote in Riverside County, as of Nov. 12.

Two of the Republicans who are impacted by Proposition 50, Reps. Ken Calvert and Darrell Issa, currently represent districts that include portions of Riverside County. Calvert's district is entirely within Riverside County, while Issa's current district includes portions of Riverside and San Diego counties.

San Bernardino

San Bernardino County held steady in presidential elections, voting Democratic from 2008 to 2020 before going for Mr. Trump in 2024.

Prop. 50 passed with 57% of the vote, as of Nov. 13, marking a significant change from Mr. Trump's 50% in last year's election.

San Joaquin

Mr. Trump earned a narrow victory in San Joaquin County in 2024 with 48.69% of the vote, edging out Harris by about 2,000 of the more than 264,000 votes cast. He was the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the county since George W. Bush in 2004.

The passage of Prop. 50 was more convincing, with "Yes" on the measure receiving 54% of the vote, as of Nov. 12.