Why Vote YES on California Proposition 50 in the November 4 Special Election
When I first heard about Proposition 50, I was strongly opposed to it. California already has a fair redistricting system. Our state is one of thirteen with an independent citizen commission that redraws congressional district boundaries after each U.S. decennial census. Our system avoids partisan gerrymandering, defined as “the strategic drawing of district boundaries to increase the likelihood of future electoral success for one or more parties (1).”
However, once the President pressured the Texas governor and legislature to redistrict mid-decade, all bets were off (2). Two years into his first term, in 2018, the Republican House flipped to a Democratic majority. He does not want a repeat; thus, the resort to extreme gerrymandering to rig next year’s congressional elections (3).
Florida, Indiana, and Missouri are also slated for presidential pressure to redistrict mid-decade. This is clearly a power grab designed to rig the 2026 election and keep Republicans in power. This is why we need to vote yes on Prop 50 to redistrict California mid-decade.
Compare the Democrats’ dilemma to a soccer game where the other team decides to stop playing by the rules, pick up the ball, and run down the field with it. But this is not a game; this is our nation with the rule of law at stake. Not fighting back is dangerous. This is an emergency; the stakes could not be more consequential.
Republican members of the House have abdicated their authority to the President, obliterating the separation of powers. One thing Americans can do is vote Republicans out of power. Proposition 50 is a step toward this goal.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, in a podcast, described the 2026 midterms as “a fight to say, ‘There’s a check on power.’” She further stated that “any accountability for Donald Trump will come because of the midterms (4).”
Proposition 50, California’s Election Rigging Response Act, would:
- allow the state legislature, rather than the Citizens Redistricting Commission, to redraw district maps, one time only in 2025, potentially increasing the number of Democratic Congressional Representatives by five;
- return to the Citizens Redistricting Commission process after the 2030 census; and
- request Congress to pass legislation requiring all 50 states to have citizen redistricting commissions.
Take Action
- Vote YES on Prop 50 on November 4, 2025. Ballot mailing begins October 6, and you can vote any time up to November 4.
- Share this information with your friends and family and encourage them to vote. With only one item on the ballot, low voter turnout may be a concern.
- Donate to YES on 50. For more information, go to https://stopelectionrigging.com/
- Lily Kincannon, J.D. Rackey, and Michael Thorning, “What to Know about Redistricting and Gerrymandering,” Bipartisan Policy Center, August 8, 2025.
- Joey Cappelletti and Nicholas Riccardi, “Trump tells Texas Republicans to redraw the state congressional map to help keep House majority,” The Associated Press, July 5, 2025.
- Texas is already gerrymandered by its legislature: in 2024, Republicans got just 13% more votes than Democrats, but they gained 48% more congressional seats. See Carla Astudillo, “Election Results: How Texas voted in 2024,” The Texas Tribune, updated December 4, 2024.
- Senator Elizabeth Warren, “And, This Is a Rally for Yes on Proposition 50,” This is Gavin Newsom, September 18, 2025.