California is set to vote on a new congressional map in November, part of a plan by the governor, Gavin Newsom, and state Democrats to deliver up to five new Democrat-held seats in the US Congress.
The plan is a direct effort to counter a Republican-led push in Texas, which will give the GOP a five-seat advantage in the upcoming midterms.
The move is controversial for many reasons – states usually redistrict every decade after the census to better reflect populations, and California already has an independent commission to do just that. But the Texas plan, which was signed by Greg Abbott, the Republican governor, in August, came at the behest of Donald Trump, who has linked the effort as a surefire way to get five more Republicans in the House during the next midterms.
The Guardian asked voters how they felt about California’s Proposition 50. While many expressed distaste, or outright disgust, with gerrymandering – the practice of redrawing congressional seats to guarantee representation for one party – many said they felt the new proposal was the only way to ensure fair representation in Congress.
“I have always been happy about California’s lack of gerrymandering and I hope that one day, every state will have independent commissions to create congressional districts,” Mars Moro, 60, an accountant at a California biotech company reliant on endangered grants from the National Institutes of Health, wrote. “But right now, with Trump’s attempt to rig the midterms in 2026, I believe that Newsom is doing the right thing. Our republic hangs in the balance and we must do everything we can to prevent a full autocratic takeover.”
Tara Noone, a psychotherapist from Albany, said while she generally thinks gerrymandering is “appalling”, it would be “foolish not to redistrict when there is a direct request from the White House and direct effort in red states to redistrict in order to give the GOP more seats in the House”.
“When the effort to tilt elections for a one-party permanent majority is transparent, explicit and unapologetic, we must act,” Noone, who has a “Yes on 50” sign in her yard, wrote. “Not just for ourselves but for all those voters in Texas who have been completely disenfranchised by a gerrymandering that neutralizes their votes. I have to hold my nose to vote for this one, but I absolutely will vote for it and feel safe doing so given the sunset provision.”
Meghan Diggins agreed with the sense of displeasure at being at this political juncture, but said she felt it was the “right thing to do considering that in my review, it certainly seems like Donald Trump is trying to take over the country”.
“I disagree with almost every single thing the man has done since he sat down at the Oval Office again,” Diggins, 59, said. “Even though I think gerrymandering is completely wrong and it’s ridiculous it’s not been stopped prior to now, it’s the only way to fight back for the gerrymandering he is pushing in red states.”
But for some voters, the “fight fire with fire” mindset weighed too heavily. Alex G, a middle school teacher in Long Beach, California, who asked to only be identified by his first name, said the idea to counter Republicans was “inherently dangerous”.
“As a young person, I still have hope for the future,” the 30-year-old wrote. “I have hope that we will learn from the atrocities committed during the Trump era and a new political climate will emerge. However, if both sides of the political system are bending the rules in their favor, where does it end?”
Many voters said they were comforted by the fact that Proposition 50 has a temporary timeline. If passed, the new maps would be used for congressional elections beginning in 2026, but only for three elections until the state draws new district maps after the 2030 Census.
“I don’t think it is the ideal way to do this, but to keep things fair we have no choice because of what Texas did,” Steven Reeves, 61, from Anderson, California, wrote. “But I feel better that it is only temporary unless the state puts a permanent proposal on a future ballot.”
Samian Quazi, a registered nurse in Pacifica, California, said while they know the Democratic effort was meant to rebalance the gerrymandering in Texas, it was an unfortunate outcome.
“I am no fan of gerrymandering – and as a political independent, I find a lot of the partisanship to be counterproductive,” Quazi, 37, said. “However, I plan on voting yes to this proposition. I grew up in Texas before moving to California, and I saw how gerrymandering in Texas made the state so uncompetitive in elections. It is only right to stand up against this, so if California can neutralize Texas’s efforts, it sends a message that such behavior won’t go unanswered.”
Others, however, were concerned Proposition 50 was “a dangerous partisan act by Newsom to boost his political party”.
“He is denying the voters the independent commission we approved,” Evan August Evans, a restaurant manager from San Pedro, California, wrote. “He says it’s only for the next three election cycles. How can we trust this since he is basically disenfranchising Green party, independent and Republican voters. We need independent commissions drawing up congressional maps. Newsom wants to fight fire with fire, but that just ensures everything burns.”
California is just one of eight states with an independent commission responsible for redistricting. The state passed the Voters First Act in 2008 that allowed the body to draw new district lines, and expanded its ability two years later in 2010 to add congressional districts to its purview. The body is made up of 14 members, five Republicans, five Democrats and four unaffiliated with those major parties.
The existence of that commission, whose work is set to continue after three elections, has helped get some voters across the line on Prop 50.
“Passing Prop 50 is an absolute necessity if democracy is to be saved in this country,” Kathy Callaway, a 75-year-old resident of Woodacre, California, wrote. “This is a tactical measure in reaction to the illegal gerrymandering in Texas, but it is also a temporary measure.”
“In 2030 our independent redistricting commission will resume its job after the census. I am proud of California for standing up to Trump’s authoritarian power grab.”
