Inaccurate voter guides sent to Californians ahead of November special election

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California voters received incorrect voter guides for the November special election on congressional redistricting, the Secretary of State’s office said.

“We are taking swift, transparent action to ensure voters receive correct information,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement on Monday. “This mislabeling does not affect proposed districts, ballots, or the election process; it is solely a labeling error. Every eligible Californian can have full confidence that their vote will be counted, and their representation is secure.” 

The error was discovered in the official 2025 Voter Information Guide. On page 11, a proposed congressional district provided by the Legislative Analyst’s Office was mislabeled as District 22 instead of District 27. A separate map on page 15 correctly identified the district.

The Secretary of State’s office said a correction postcard will be mailed to all households that received the guide. The official election website, voterguide.sos.ca.gov, has also been updated to reflect the correction.

The special election is already expected to cost taxpayers $284 million. Postage for correction notices alone is expected to add millions more, in addition to printing costs.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in August calling a Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50, which would temporarily give lawmakers control over congressional redistricting. The measure, called the Election Rigging Response Act, would override the state’s independent redistricting commission for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections.

The commission, created by voters through ballot measures in 2008 and 2010, was designed to remove politics from the once-a-decade process that uses U.S. Census data. Under the proposal, the commission would remain in law but lose its authority.

Supporters say the measure is needed to counter partisan gerrymandering in GOP-led states. Opponents, however, argue it amounts to gerrymandering itself, returning power to politicians after voters had deliberately removed it.