"Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. If Democrats and those on the left want to draw one lesson from the lopsided 64-36 victory of Proposition 50 in California earlier this week, it is that the public understands that these are not normal times, and that to get democracy on track again in the U.S. it may take some drastic, norm-breaking measures."
"Consider that in both 2008 and 2010, California voters went to the ballot box to take redistricting away from the Democratic Party-dominated Legislature and put it into the hands of voters. Proposition 50 temporarily reverses the 2010 initiative that had a commission made up of Democrats, Republicans, and independents draw district lines for Congress and replaces it with a blatantly partisan gerrymander that will help Democrats and hurt Republicans in the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections."
Proposition 50 passed 64-36 in California, engineered by Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic officials. The measure temporarily reverses the 2010 independent redistricting initiative, replacing the commission with a partisan map-drawing process that benefits Democrats and hurts Republicans in 2026, 2028, and 2030. Democrats may gain roughly five seats by reconfiguring formerly safe Republican districts. The measure passed amid pressure from Donald Trump's push for aggressive gerrymanders in Texas, and Newsom paused fundraising as the race became an easy Democratic victory. The outcome suggests appetite for drastic election changes and potential for bold election reform if Democrats win federal control.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]