A Northern California county has found nearly 600 uncounted ballots from last year’s controversial proposition vote, which passed and allowed theredrawing of districtsin the Golden State as part of a nationwide wave across other states.
On Wednesday — nearly six months after Humboldt County certified the Nov. 4, 2025, statewide special election — elections staff announced it had discovered 596 sealed ballots inside a locked drop box that should have been counted before certification,according to the county elections office.
“The Office of Elections and the state have both confirmed that counting these ballots will not change the result of the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election.
“However, it is important that Humboldt County Office of Elections explore every available option to get these votes counted,” the county said in a press release.
County officials said elections staff moved immediately to follow established procedures after discovering the ballots, confirming the ballots had “not been tampered with” because the drop box remained locked and the ballots were still sealed.
The Humboldt County Office of Elections then consulted with the California Secretary of State’s Office to determine how to proceed, officials said.
Proposition 50 was on the ballot in the 2025 special electionand was passed by California voters to temporarily give the state legislature the power to redraw congressional district boundaries.
The move was a strategic “counter-gerrymander” designed to help Democrats win more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to offset Republican gains from similar redistricting efforts in Texas.
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The measure is not permanent; these specific partisan maps will only be used for elections between 2026 and 2030, at which point the authority to draw maps is scheduled to return to California’s independent redistricting commission.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
