REDDING, Calif. (AP) — Many North State residents worry that a ballot measure to redraw U.S. House maps is all but certain to dilute what little political power they possess in the heavily Democratic state. If Proposition 50 passes, voters in three northern counties that went strongly for President Donald Trump in the last three elections would share a representative with some of the state’s wealthiest and most liberal coastal communities. Rural voters would be outnumbered, making it unlikely for a Republican candidate to prevail. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom says it’s necessary to defend democracy, but California Republicans call it a power grab that will disenfranchise voters. Republicans currently hold nine of the state’s 52 congressional seats. Republicans face an uphill battle in the state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1. Democrats have returned nearly twice as many ballots. Labor unions and other Democratic allies have mobilized hundreds of volunteers to reach voters in solidly blue areas like Los Angeles with millions of voters. Some residents in Redding say they’ve heard little from Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa about a plan to fight the measure. Under the new maps, voters in Shasta, Siskiyou and Modoc counties would be in the same congressional district with Marin County. LaMalfa has spent at least $63,000 from his campaign fund to reach voters through text messages and yard signs. He also gave $50,000 to a statewide “no” campaign. Newsom and other Democrats say the measure is a tool to fight Trump’s agenda and counter Republican efforts to pickup seats elsewhere. Even if it passes and Democrats win five more seats, it may not help the party retain the House. Republicans in Missouri, North Carolina and Indiana are joining Texas in trying to draw more winnable seats in the 2026 midterms.