California county finds nearly 600 unopened ballots months after Newsom-backed redistricting measure passed
Humboldt County discovered 596 unopened ballots months after voters approved Gavin Newsom’s redistricting power grab, exposing the fragile mechanics behind California’s Democratic mapmaking.
Humboldt County officials admitted this week they left 596 sealed ballots sitting in a locked drop box for months after California voters handed Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats temporary control over congressional maps. The discovery came long after certification of the November special election on Proposition 50, yet clerks insist the error changed nothing.
The ballots were found Monday inside the drop box. County Clerk-Recorder Juan Pablo Cervantes took responsibility in a Wednesday press release, saying an election worker skipped proper procedures but that ultimate accountability rested with him. "I did not have strong enough controls in place to prevent this," Cervantes said, announcing a new "lock out, tag out" system to physically verify every drop box before results are finalized.
Proposition 50, pushed hard by Newsom and state Democrats, let the legislature bypass California’s independent redistricting commission and draw its own congressional maps for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections. The move was framed as a necessary counter to Republican map changes in states like Texas. Yet even after voters approved the measure, the mechanics of counting their ballots proved unreliable in at least one county.
Officials apologized to Humboldt voters for falling short and promised the uncounted ballots would still be tabulated, though too late to affect the Prop 50 outcome. The episode lands as redistricting battles intensify nationwide. Last week’s Supreme Court decision narrowing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has Democrats eyeing even more aggressive steps, while California Republican candidate Steve Hilton blames the "complete failure" of Newsom and his party.
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks pushed back on further map changes before the midterms, telling the Los Angeles Times that Democrats "have yet to fully win the seats in the map that was drawn in 2025." Hicks argued it would be "a step too far" to redraw again and urged a national Democratic effort instead of California acting alone.
The gap between the rhetoric of urgent democratic defense and the reality of 596 overlooked ballots in a locked box raises an uncomfortable question: if Sacramento Democrats cannot guarantee every vote is counted in a low-stakes special election, why should voters trust them with unchecked power to draw the very maps that decide who represents them?
Original reporting: Fox News.
More in California
- UC Berkeley Lab Proposes New Civic Framework for California’s Next Governor
A research-driven agenda calls for institutionalizing 'co-governance' to address low public trust and lack of resident influence in state decision-making.
- Five Tax Measures on California’s Ballot Aim to Reshape State Finances
Propositions 3, 40–43 would alter income, wealth and local taxation rules—marking the highest number of tax measures on a general election ballot since 1994.
- Catalina Helicopter Crash Highlights Risks of Island Medevac Flights
A medical evacuation chopper carrying Catalina Romero, pilot, and nurse Jessica Devries crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing all three; federal investigators are assessing causes including night flying, spatial disorientation, and the island’s challenging Pebbly Beach heliport.