Election Day in Sonoma, Napa counties sees high, steady turnout as voters weigh redistricting measure

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A flurry of last-day voting Tuesday in Sonoma and Napa counties marked an Election Day dominated by a single question in California — whether to support the return, even temporary, to partisan-led redistricting of California’s congressional maps to counter similar moves by Texas and other Republican-led states.

Across the region, people arrived early to cast their ballots at voting centers or return them in drop boxes, and the buzz of activity continued throughout the day, building on the already-high early voter engagement noted by elections officials in the lead-up to this week.

That was significant because special elections typically see lower voter turnout, especially compared to presidential election cycles.

But the stakes are high, and voters’ opinions entering or leaving their polling places appeared equally strong Tuesday.

Proposition 50 would, if approved, swap out independently set congressional districts for a map drawn by the Legislature to favor Democrats in 2026 — a counterweight to an earlier move by Texas Republicans, and now other GOP-led states to retain control of the House of Representatives. The California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission is set to resume oversight over district maps in 2031.

Harper Post, of Petaluma, supported the mid-decade redistricting effort. Gaining seats in Congress would give Democrats a chance to push back on the Trump administration’s attack on democracy, she said.

“I want to live in a country that is free and I don’t believe the party that is in office is OK,” she said. “Our president is a corrupt man trying to gerrymander districts in other states for his grievous intentions and we need as many seats in Congress as possible to stop that.”

In Northern California, the new map would reshape the 2nd District, represented by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael; the 4th District, represented by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena; and the 1st District, represented by Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, which Democrats hope to flip.

Santa Rosa has emerged as a key piece of that plan. Prop. 50 establishes the city as the voting core of the redrawn 1st District, which would span north up the Highway 101 corridor through Mendocino County, then swing east to take in Lake County, a broad swath of the Sacramento Valley, Chico and Paradise, extending to the Nevada border.

Butte County Democrat Audrey Denney, a Chico-based educator and nonprofit leader, has already declared her intentions to run. Other names circulating include Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire, the Healdsburg Democrat who terms out of office at the end of 2026. McGuire has been conspicuously silent about his plans to run but has thrown his energy and campaign funds into passing Prop. 50.

By noon in Sonoma County more than 1,700 in-person votes had been cast, including 160 at the election office, said Registrar of Voters Evelyn Mendez, who was appointed earlier this year. Outside, motorists lined up at the drive-thru lane to hand off their ballots to poll workers, while others came inside to fill out a ballot, get a replacement or register to vote.

Mendez projected total turnout could reach 65%, solid for a special election. The office expected to post initial results just after 8 p.m. Tuesday, when voting ended. Those results were set to include mail ballots processed and signature checked through Tuesday morning and potentially some came in on Election Day. The office planned to update every two hours to include all returns from the 14 vote centers, with updates available Wednesday morning.

“I knew there was high participation in Sonoma County but I think this is going to be pretty good,” Mendez said.

Farther south in Petaluma, drivers honked at a small group of Prop. 50 supporters who gathered Tuesday morning at the corner of North McDowell Boulevard and East Washington Street waving signs just down the block from the Petaluma Community Center where volunteers prepared to assist voters.

Voting center inspector Rick Olejniczak said about four or five people lined up outside the center before doors opened at 7 a.m. and others had trickled in since to drop off their ballots or vote in person.

The center has been one of the busiest over the past few weeks since voting began in early October. Olejniczak estimated and average of about 30 people had come in daily to cast a live vote while another 30 stopped by to return ballots in the days before Election Day

In Petaluma, turnout was also being driven by Measure I, the proposed $129 annual parcel tax to help fund secondary schools within the Petaluma City Schools district

“It’s a pocketbook issue,” Olejniczak said.

The only other ballot question for some Sonoma County voters was in Timber Cove, where four candidates, including two incumbents, are vying for three seats on the Timber Cove County Water District board of directors.

In Napa County, Prop. 50 was only question on the ballot.

By 3 p.m. on Election Day, 40% of 86,300 registered Napa County voters had voted. John Tuteur, the registrar of voters, said he expected total turnout in this election to be higher than most special elections.

At the Hall of Justice in downtown Napa — home to the county’s Election Division and one of three vote centers open across Napa County — voters trickled in early Tuesday to cast or drop off their ballots. Some wore work clothes, others still in pajamas, coffee in hand or dogs on leash.

Napa resident Randolph Marsey, dropping off his ballot around 8:30 a.m., said he supported Proposition 50.

“It counterbalances the actions of Texas and other Republican states that are redrawing their maps,” he said.

Not everyone agreed.

Mary Scott, a retired state employee and longtime Napa resident, said she felt the election was a waste of money.

“Everyone should be represented properly,” she said. Gov. Newsom, she added, “needs to respect what the vote was in the past. That’s how it should be, no matter what’s going on in the rest of the country. They say it’s because of what Trump did, but that doesn’t make it right for them to do it.”

As a voter, she said did not feel respected. “It’s all about power and doing anything to get it. That’s a shame – they’re not putting the people first.”

Walking out of the voting center at the Holiday Inn in American Canyon, Napa County resident Carol Carr said she felt passionate about her vote. “I am for Prop. 50 because it’s the right thing to do,” she said. “This country is in turmoil right now. Trump is not for this country or the people at all. He hates California and California feels the same for him. He’s not qualified for the job.”

The brisk start to voting Tuesday morning picked up across Election Day, according to Napa County vote center worker Jonathan Briano. Voters came by the dozens to cast ballots in person, submit them inside or use a drive-through tent.

“We’re very scrupulous about following the instructions and we want to do anything we can to facilitate voting,” Briano said.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.

You can reach Tarini Mehta at 707-521-5337 or tarini.mehta@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @MehtaTarini.