"Gov. Gavin Newsom is pitching his Proposition 50 as a referendum on President Donald Trump's grip on the legislative branch controlled by Republicans in Congress - calling it the "most transparent" redistricting process nationwide, since California voters will directly weigh in on the proposed new maps next Tuesday."
"The new district lines were controversially drawn in a flurry and passed by state lawmakers in August, and are designed to help Democrats pick up at least five more congressional seats in the 2026 midterms. The measure aims to counter to Texas, which recently approved gerrymandered maps to shore up Republicans' slim majority at the behest of President Donald Trump."
"In 26 states, lawmakers control where congressional boundaries are drawn. But California ceded that influence to ordinary residents after voters approved Propositions 11 and 20 more than a decade ago. Back in 2008, when Californians approved the Voters First Act, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, at the time a political newcomer, spearheaded the charge - citing his frustrations with how gerrymandering distorted not just voter representation but the entire political process."
California voters will decide Proposition 50, which would allow direct voter approval or rejection of congressional maps drawn by the state Legislature. Governor Gavin Newsom frames the measure as a transparent public referendum because voters will directly weigh in on proposed maps. State lawmakers approved contested district lines in August intended to help Democrats gain about five additional congressional seats in 2026, prompting Republican accusations of a power grab. California previously moved redistricting authority to a citizen-led commission through Propositions 11 and 20 and the 2008 Voters First Act due to concerns about gerrymandering.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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