REDDING, Calif. (AP) — In an area of Northern California known for agriculture, ranching and a rural lifestyle, residents fear that a ballot measure to redraw U.S. House maps is sure to dilute what little political power they possess in the heavily Democratic state.
If Proposition 50 passes, voters in three northern counties who strongly supported President Donald Trump in the last three elections would share a representative with some of the state’s wealthiest and most liberal coastal communities. Rural voters would be outnumbered, making it unlikely that a Republican candidate would prevail.
“Most of us see it as, you know, massive gerrymandering, taking away what little representation we had and now we’ll have absolutely nothing,” former Shasta County Supervisor Patrick Jones said in a recent interview at his family’s gun shop.
Voting concludes Nov. 4 on the measure, which would create partisan maps of the U.S. House of Representatives outside of normal once-a-decade redistricting by an independent commission. It’s an effort by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to counter a Trump-backed plan in Texas to gain five more Republican seats. He says democracy needs to be defended, but California Republicans call it a power grab that will disenfranchise voters. Republicans currently hold nine of the state’s 52 congressional seats.
In Redding, one of the largest cities north of Sacramento, bright yellow roadside signs urge residents to stand up for fair elections and rural representation. A local man recently led a one-man protest outside City Hall, while more than 150 people showed up at a rally to reject what they see as a plan by Democrats to take away their voice.
But they face an uphill battle in the state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1. Democrats have returned nearly twice as many votes. Unions and other Democratic allies have mobilized hundreds of volunteers to reach voters in solidly blue areas like Los Angeles, with millions of voters. Two weeks before Election Day, only about 7,000 ballots had been returned in Shasta County, County Clerk Clint Curtis said. Expect a lower turnout than normal.
Television advertising opposing the measure, a key investment in the sprawling state, has largely dried up. Some Redding residents say they have heard little from Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa about a plan to fight the measure, although he has an event scheduled Wednesday in another city in his district.
Rural strongholds prepare for political change
Under the new maps, voters in Shasta, Siskiyou and Modoc counties (all conservative strongholds in the rural north) would be in the same congressional district as Marin County, which is just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
The present-day district of LaMalfa includes farms growing rice, olive trees and other nuts, and livestock farming is prevalent in the northernmost reaches. Lassen National Volcanic Park, the historic Shasta Dam, and snow-capped Mount Shasta are defining features. Redding has a population of less than 100,000. Distrust in the government and belief in electoral conspiracies are common. In 2024, 67% of Shasta County voters supported Trump.
Meanwhile, Marin County won 80% of the vote for Democrat Kamala Harris. The median household income is over $140,000, about double that of Shasta County. It is part of a district that extends north along the Pacific coast to Oregon and is known for its redwood forests, wine production and cannabis farms. He is represented by Democratic Representative Jared Huffman.
LaMalfa, a rice farmer, opposes the proposal and has spent at least $63,000 from his campaign fund to reach voters through text messages and yard signs. He also donated $50,000 to a statewide “no” campaign. Brenda Haynes, who works in the LaMalfa district office, said the congressman has joined residents waving flags at freeway overpasses. His campaign declined a request to have a reporter shadow him during the process.
“I think he’s made phone calls and stuff, but I haven’t really heard from him,” said Toby Ruiz, a retired state worker who has lived in the area most of his life.
LaMalfa supporters say they appreciate his conservative stances and are pushing for a major new water storage project.
“I love this guy,” said Bob Braz, a Redding-area native who owns a bait shop. “I defend almost all the things he has done.”
Those who don’t know much about LaMalfa’s background said they trust him because of his background.
“I don’t hear much about him, but he’s a farmer,” said Liz Jacobs, who moved from the Bay Area to Redding 20 years ago. He added: “I don’t know anyone from the Bay Area with his progressive ideas.”
Newsom and other Democrats say the measure is a tool to fight Trump’s agenda and counter Republican efforts to pick up seats elsewhere. Even if it passes and Democrats gain five more seats, it may not help the party retain the House. Republicans in Missouri, North Carolina and Indiana are joining Texas in trying to pick up more winnable seats in the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, Virginia lawmakers have reconvened to work on a more Democratic-friendly map. All efforts are sure to face legal challenges.
“This is not the fight we want to fight. This was not our battle,” Newsom said at a recent virtual campaign event. “This is a reaction to something unprecedented that happened.”
But Redding voters see it as another way to silence their voices.
They have long felt abandoned by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in Sacramento, which they blame for raising the cost of living and infringing on local control. Lawmakers, for example, prohibited counties from counting ballots manually in most cases after Shasta County leaders voted to get rid of their vote counting machines in 2023.
Some said they worry that national Republicans won’t fight to keep their seats if the measure passes.
“You would have to spend an enormous amount of money to get to their base,” said Jones, the former county supervisor. “And they’re just not going to want to waste that kind of money because it would be better spent elsewhere in the country.”
Voters are divided
Not all voters fear change.
Warren Swanson, a Redding resident for more than 40 years, called LaMalfa “Do Nothing Doug.” His wife, Tara Swanson, also voted “yes” on the measure, in part because it promises to return map-drawing power to the independent commission after the 2030 Census.
“Does two wrongs make a right? It’s a tough question for those of us who think along those lines,” Tara Swanson said.
Some liberal voters in Mt. Shasta, Siskiyou County, hope to unseat LaMalfa for his vote in favor of Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill that will overhaul health care and food assistance programs. Mothers, families and seniors in the city could go hungry because of changes to food assistance programs, said Colleen Shelly, a Mt. Shasta resident who works with the state’s food assistance program.
But the fight is far from over for Republican voters in California, said Walter Stephen Rubke, a 38-year-old who moved to Redding last year. Many young people support conservatives, he said, and he expects continued resistance from Republican voters even if the measure passes.
“I see a difficult road ahead,” he said. “But I feel confident. I feel hopeful.”