“The signs in English and Spanish, paid for by Republican Assemblymember David Tangipa of Fresno, are one of the only clues in this region that California voters are hurtling toward a statewide special election next month. “
“Many of them don’t realize that in just a few weeks, they’ll be asked whether they want to temporarily change their districts — and for some, their representation in Congress — in a gerrymander that favors Democrats. And unlike in politically attuned coastal hubs like the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, traditional online, TV and mail campaign ads are rarely enough to get people to vote. Often they need an in-person push from a friend or family member.”
The term “Proposition 50” doesn’t ring a bell with many residents of the rural San Joaquin Valley. But even some of the most disengaged voters say they’re familiar with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to redraw California’s congressional maps in response to Texas. Read the full CalMatters story by clicking here.
KVPR-FM 89.3 paid us a visit recently at a recent Bridge Brigade event for a conversation on redistricting on their podcast. Click here to listen in (8:03).
In similar news, North Carolina Republicans are joining Texas GOP in gerrymandering efforts to “heed President Donald Trump’s mid-decade redistricting mandate in hopes of mitigating the risk of GOP losses in next year’s midterm elections.”
Texas registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 46 to 37% margin; Texas Republicans have 25 U.S. House seats compared to 12 seats for Democrats. It is quintessential gerrymandering – and quite undemocratic, thus unfair. It is why California decided over 15 years ago to form a commission to draw governing district lines instead of allowing the legislature to place a thumb on the scale in the fashion most red states do (Texas, et al).
Prop 50 is California’s response to red-state gerrymandering. Our choice is to sit by and unjustly lose elections or fight back. Of course, we’re fighting back. If Prop 50, is approved, that commission will remain intact upon completion of the 2030 Census.
Sadly, most Republican-held state legislatures will retain their right to draw their own lines to favor their electoral chances – where the minority retain rule over the majority – but those states are allowed to do what voters there want. It’s part of our democratic republic. There are, after all, no kings – just the U.S. Constitution.
