Sample Ballot (Photo: Wikimedia)
SAN FRANCISCO – Citizens of California will choose on Nov. 4 whether or not congressional lines should be redrawn in a mid-decade, special election.
The action is a “fight-fire-with-fire” attempt to counter gerrymandering of House seats in Texas and other Republican-majority states. Gov. Gavin Newsom and heavy hitters like Former President Barack Obama have endorsed the proposition in funded ad campaigns, saying that on this election’s ballot is democracy itself.
Some donors to the campaign include a Democratic super Political Action Committee (PAC) and a lobbying group for George Soros. Proposition 50 (Prop. 50), if passed, will return the power of redistricting to the state Legislature, which would retain this control until after the 2030 U.S. Census, when the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) will be reinstated, according to the current version of the proposition.
In 2008, voters enshrined redistricting power to the CCRC via the Voters First Act/Prop. 11. The only route to temporarily repealing the CCRC’s power is through a back-to-the-people vote. The removal of their jurisdiction is criticized as an abandonment of California’s commitment to fair representation.
While polling estimates have shown that over 54% favor the proposition, concerns even from “yes” voters shine a light on the dubiousness of this move, despite its apparent necessity in light of the current presidential administration's persistent attempts to cement partisan influence in Congress and the Supreme Court.
Some wonder if this isn’t the first step in stripping citizens of representatives who actually represent their interests and communities and have doubts about the promised re-installment of CCRC’s jurisdiction. Republican voters are worried about their presence being eradicated in an already majority blue state, and members of districts that were previously drawn to protect minority populations’ voting interests are concerned that their voices will be unheard.
(Photo: Proposed congressional map — Legislative Analyst’s Office)
Resident Cici, who requested her last name not be revealed, said, “I hate it, but I’ll vote yes to offset the manipulation by other states that could further entrench the Republican majority,” adding that “being morally superior won’t save our democracy at this desperate time.”
“I hate it because it’s manipulating how constituents will be represented,” Cici said. “At the end, someone’s voice isn’t being heard.”
The resident added she feels “like everything I learned in school growing up about our government is being torn apart.”
“And now I’m having to vote for something that I’ve been taught is wrong, but I feel that I don’t otherwise have a choice if I want to make sure some semblance of our democracy is preserved,” Cici said.
Resident Rabea Chaudhary remembers the pre-2008 state of California redistricting.
“The Legislature’s drawings weren’t representative,” Chaudhary said, adding, “Gerrymandering was the norm in California politics prior to this commission being established.”
Chaudhary said the motivations for the proposition may be “right reasons.” Still, she is opposed to the voters’ decisive preference of citizen-led redistricting being on the chopping block and worries that the power may never return to the CCRC.
“The voters came up with a solution, and that very solution is what’s being requested as a sacrifice?” Chaudhary said.“Even when people cede power temporarily for all the right reasons, it’s tough for them to get it back."
Cici is disappointed with the reduction of complex political processes that impact citizens to mere partisan seat-gaining.
The city explains redistricting on the city website here.
San Francisco government website photo of the city
“The fact that we are openly and explicitly stating that the redistrictings are purely about gaining more R or D votes is just sad, and is such a sad and dire example of how far our country has fallen right now,” she said.
“To be clear, I don’t inherently have an issue with republicans, but the Republican Party, under Trump’s control, is dismantling America, and being ‘right’ won’t protect our country against them,” Cici said.
Both women, though on opposite sides, share the fear that democracy itself may not survive its own defense.
If you would like to share your thoughts on the story, please contact me at sarah.h@lead4earth.org.
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