Upcoming Elections

Nov. 4 Special Election - facts, no opinions

Two Ballot Measures in Nevada County

In November, there will be two measures on the ballot in our county. Voters in Truckee will decide on a local bond measure for the Truckee library. All voters in Nevada County will decide on Proposition 50 to determine if the Congressional District map in our state will be redrawn for temporary use.

Here are some quick videos...

Overview What's a Congressional Map? Affects to Nevada County

How Prop 50 & Special Election came to be Prop 50 Support & Opposition

Or read more here...

2025 Election | Prop 50 Summary | What's a Congressional Map? | Prop 50 Impact to Nev Co

Prop 50: Clear & Not Clear | FOR/AGAINST Prop 50 | Prop 50 Maps | Truckee | 2026 Elections

Truckee ballot measure - Special Tax and Bond

Voters registered in the Truckee Library Community Facilities District will be voting on Measure G, a bond measure for the creation of a new library and community space in Truckee.

The voting and bond district includes the city of Truckee, Placer County into Northstar, Martis Camp and Donner Summit, not quite encompassing the entire Tahoe-Truckee United School District.

The current library, originally built for 2,000 cardholders, has a maximum capacity of 54 people and now has 15,000 cardholders. Construction of the new library is expected to begin in 2027 at Truckee Regional Park.

Funding from the bond will generate approximately 43% of the revenue for the new space. The remaining revenue is from grants and private funding. A significant amount of private funding and funds from Friends of the Truckee Library has already been received.

The project managers and town council are looking to utilize the new facility to fill gaps in local infrastructure, including as an emergency resource center with permanent backup power, and as an internet-available space for students, educators and underserved communities in Truckee.

The bond needs a 2/3 YES vote to pass.

People who support Measure G say the library is already at the pre construction stage with a lot of the private funding in place so it is ready to go if Measure G passes. They also say that Truckee is overdue for a larger library, as the current one was built for a much smaller population.

Those who oppose Measure G say that the tax to support it will fall on property owners instead of being shared by everyone in the community through a sales tax. They also say the construction may impede usage of the park.

For full detail on Measure G check here.

Statewide ballot measure - Proposition 50 Summary

It will be up to voters in California to decide if California's current Congressional map drawn by the Citizen’s Redistricting Commission (Commission) will be replaced with a temporary map drawn by our state politicians. The new map would be used in elections between 2026 through 2030 when responsibility to draw the map returns to the Commission. Prop 50 and this special election are in response to the recent redistricting done in Texas and other states to favor Republican Congressional candidates there who will run in the 2026 election.

YES vote on Prop 50 means:

A YES vote means you support using a temporary congressional map in California that was drawn by the state legislature for elections between 2026 through 2030 and have the Citizens Redistricting Commission resume drawing the map after that.

NO vote on Prop 50 means:

A NO vote means you want to continue using the current map drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission with no changes until the 2030 census.

What is a congressional district?

Prop 50 is about how congressional representation is determined in California. Each state is divided into Congressional districts where voters elect a representative to the U.S. Congress. Congressional representatives make new laws, develop the federal budget, declare war, and provide oversight of the U.S. President. The number of Congressional Representatives from each state depends on the number of people living in that state. Currently, 52 of the 435 representatives in the U.S. Congress are from California. Every 2 years, each District elects a new Representative. The next election for Congressional Representatives is In 2026.

The result of the census that is taken every ten years determines how many Congressional representatives each state gets. Then each state draws a map of new congressional districts in their state. That process is called redistricting. The next census is in 2030.

Redistricting in most states is done by the state legislature. In California, redistricting is done by a Citizens Redistricting Commission made up of 14 citizens. This Commission includes 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 members who are not registered with either of those political parties.

How Prop 50 came to be. Why a Special Election? Why not wait for the census?

Normally, states redraw their congressional district boundaries after the U.S. Census. The next census is in 2030. However, the Texas legislature created a new congressional district map for their state this year in 2025. Their stated purpose for drawing a new map early in Texas was to increase Republican representation from their state by five seats in the upcoming 2026 election for Congressional Representatives. These changes were made by the Texas state legislature without seeking voter approval.

In response to Texas’ early redistricting this year, California lawmakers redrew our state’s congressional map and have called a special election this November for voters to decide if this new map will be used in the 2026 election for Congressional Representatives, and in other elections up until 2030. The new map proposed in Prop 50 increases the percentage of registered Democrats in several districts and is projected to replace five Republican Representatives from California with Democrats.

What Prop 50 would do and how it would impact Nevada County

If the majority of California voters vote YES on PROP 50, California's current congressional district map drawn in 2010 by the Commission, would be temporarily replaced with a new map drawn by state lawmakers. The total number of districts would not change, but some districts boundaries would change significantly.

Today, all of Nevada County is in District 3, along with 9 other counties along the eastern border of California from the Plumas National Forest to Death Valley. Under Prop 50, all of Nevada County would remain in District 3 along with Placer, El Dorado and a small portion of Sacramento County, making District 3 much more compact. District 3 would lose Republican-leaning areas in the Eastern Sierra and gain a more Democratic-leaning region near Sacramento. This shift puts our current representative, Republican Kevin Kiley, at risk of being replaced by a Democrat in the June 2026 election.

SUPPORTERS say (NOT THE OPINION OF LWV):

The proposed map is more compact with fewer cities & counties split.
The current map drawn by the Commission doesn’t sufficiently counter unfair map manipulation in other states. New legislative maps are “neutralizing” those threats.
Prop 50 is a temporary emergency plan to help neutralize Congressional maps in other states that are drawn with the intention to favor Republican candidates.
Longstanding norms of governance are being upended and Democratic gains are being stifled by the President across the country. We are in the concentration-of-power phase of a backsliding democracy and the tools that we have normally used are not the ones that are working right now.

OPPOSERS say (NOT THE OPINION OF LWV):

Replacing a Commission-drawn map with a map drawn by politicians is just more partisan manipulation and reduces everything to how it will affect a particular political party and deepens partisan division among citizens.
Even though it’s “temporary,” midcycle redistricting sets a precedent for legislative control over map drawing, weakening checks and constitutional protection
Even with the current map, it is possible that more Democrats will be elected based entirely on voter sentiment in the state if voters come together as citizens rather than as party-driven Republicans or Democrats and vote for the candidate who will preserve our democracy.
Unfairly drawing maps is fighting for democracy by getting rid of democratic principles.

What is Clearly Established About Prop 50

The legal/constitutional effect of Prop 50: it would replace the CRC maps for the period 2026–2030, using Legislature‑drawn maps instead. Refer to the Legislative Analyst's Office and the California Secretary of State.
The definitions of “Yes” vs “No” and what happens under each outcome is laid out in clear terms. Refer to the Legislative Analyst's Office.
The financial contributions for and against the measure are substantial and fairly well documented. California Secretary of State and Ballotpedia.

What’s Less Clear / Disputed / Open Questions

Impact on competitiveness / partisan balance: While it’s clear that maps will change, exactly how many districts will shift, how voter demographics will be affected, how competitive certain seats will become or whether they will favor one party more, involves projections and assumptions.
Cost / implementation logistics: Actual cost estimates to the state are based on uncertain assumptions. In Nevada County, costs to administer the election will be approximately $700K, which is significantly less than 1% of the budget.

Proposed Map

Current Map

2025 Special Election Dates & Deadlines

October 6, 2025: Nevada county elections office will begin mailing ballots.
October 7, 2025: Ballot drop-off locations open.
October 20, 2025: Last day to register to vote for the November 4, 2025, Special Election.
October 25, 2025: Early in-person voting begins.

For more information

Interested in observing the elections process? Check out the county observer opportunities here.

11 minute Video: high level description of Prop 50 and congressional district description.

The maps: Current District Map; Proposed Map; Map of Proposed Overlaid on Current Districts

If you're wondering who your representative is and what district you live in, you can find out here.

The legal text of the bill that proposes Prop 50 is here.

Special Election information from the California Secretary of State can be seen here.

For background on how this election and Proposition 50 came about click here.

State League will not take a position on Prop 50. This statement from The League of Women Voters of California explains the state League's stance.

2026 elections

June 2, 2026 Primary election

The California Primary Election on June 2, 2026 will include all Nevada County registered voters. This election will include various local, state, and Congressional offices.

Key dates related to this election include:

Last day to register to vote: May 18, 2026
Vote-by-mail ballots will begin to be mailed: May 4, 2026
Early voting sites will open: May 4, 2026

Nov. 4, 2026 gubernatorial election

The California state Governor and Congressional offices will be on this ballot. You can see more details on this election here.

How to register to vote

It's important to have your current address on your voter registration - and changing your address is easy. Check if you are currently registered to vote at your current address here. If you don't get registered before election day, you can still vote by going to a Voting Location to register and vote on the same day as the election. If you need to register and vote from home, contact the County Elections Office to find out how to register and get a vote by mail ballot through Election Day.

Everyone in California Receives a Vote-By-Mail Ballot

All California registered voters will receive a Vote-By-Mail ballot at the address listed when they registered. Check if you are currently registered to vote at your current address here. You can fill out your ballot and return it by mail, at a drop-off location, or at the County Elections Office at 950 Maidu Ave, Nevada City. You can also vote in person. The in-person voting locations offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance. In-person vote centers and ballot drop-of locations for the previous election were here. Locations for the upcoming elections have not yet been confirmed.