FAQ: Redistricting & Reprecincting

What is redistricting, and why did it happen in Orange County in 2025?

Redistricting is the process of redrawing political district boundaries to reflect changes. In Orange County, voters in the 2024 election approved a referendum to expand the makeup of the County Commission districts from six to eight districts. Following this, a citizen-led redistricting advisory committee was formed to review proposed district maps, and ultimately, the Orange County Commission adopted a new map, known as Map 7B, marking the completion of the redistricting process.

What is reprecincting, and how is it different from redistricting?

Redistricting, in this context, means redrawing County Commission district lines. Reprecincting updates voting precinct boundaries so they match those new district lines.

Once new County Commission districts were finalized, the Supervisor of Elections Office worked quickly to adjust precinct boundaries to ensure every voter receives the correct ballot for their federal, state, and local races moving forward.

What is a voting precinct?

A precinct is a small geographic area that determines:

• Your precinct number
• Your Election Day polling place
• Which local races appear on your ballot

Orange County has more than 250 precincts, all of which must align with the new district boundaries.

Did precincts get split or merged?

If a previously established precinct now falls into more than one County Commission district under the new map, it must be adjusted. For example, if part of a precinct is now in District 3 and part is in District 4, that precinct was divided in a new way so voters in each district receive the correct ballot.

Following the reprecincting process, 58 existing precincts were adjusted to align with the new Commission District boundaries, 38 of which impacted fewer than 1,000 voters.

Will my precinct number change?

Yes, most Orange County voters will have a new precinct number as a result of the reprecincting process. This is expected and does not affect your voter registration status. Just because you have a new precinct number does not necessarily mean your Election Day polling place has changed.

How can I see how my precinct or district changed?

The Supervisor of Elections will be mailing a new Voter Information Card to every registered voter in Orange County. Voters can expect their updated Voter Information Cards to arrive in February 2026.

Voters can also explore changes using the new interactive reprecincting and redistricting visualizer, which allows you to view updated district and precinct boundaries in an easy-to-understand format. Voters can also use the interactive visualizer to type in their exact address and explore updated district and precinct boundaries.

Does this affect the 2026 elections?

Yes. The updated precincts and districts are already in place and will be utilized for countywide elections moving forward.

What considerations were made on behalf of voters?

The Supervisor of Elections Office was guided by three principles throughout this process. First, we wanted to keep voters at their current polling place whenever possible. Second, we wanted to keep neighborhoods intact so residents living across the street from each other aren’t assigned to different polling places. And finally, we wanted to prevent precincts from becoming so large that they cause long lines on Election Day.