In 2008 and again in 2010, California voters passed two citizens initiatives to stop politicians from gerrymandering the lines of their own election districts for personal and partisan gain. Voters took that power away from politicians and wisely created an Independent Citizens Redistricting process to devise maps based on strict non-partisan criteria.
Voters should choose the politicians – not the other way around.
After 15 years of this process, the positive results of this reform are clear. Having independent citizens draw our election districts in an open and transparent process has produced fairer and more competitive districts for our state.
But politicians don’t like fair and competitive districts – which is why they vehemently opposed the independent citizens redistricting process in 2008 and 2010 – and why they have been looking for any excuse to repeal it since then and seize back the power to once again manipulate election district lines.
Gov. Gavin Newsom apparently thinks California voter hatred of Donald Trump (and gerrymandering in Texas) are his ticket to giving politicians back the power to gerrymander their own election districts.
That’s why Newsom is calling an unnecessary special election for Nov. 4 – at a cost of over $200 million to state taxpayers – to vote on a deceptively titled measure that would nullify the work of the independent citizens redistricting commission.
For weeks California politicians have been working behind closed doors on manipulating election lines – with the help of pricy political consultants with technology and data sets designed to rig the outcome of elections. Worse, it is open knowledge at the state capitol that several members of the state legislature have reworked the maps so they can inherit a plumb seat in Congress for themselves.
Contrast that with the process used by the Independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commission. Commission members are banned from running for any political office for 10 years if they participate in drawing election maps. Hearings are held all throughout the state and community groups are invited to submit their ideas for district maps and provide feedback in real time to maps as they are being drawn. And most importantly, commissioners are banned from discussing redistricting in private – all discussions are to be held in open session.
Who loses in these gerrymandered maps? First, democracy loses as we will have no competitive seats left in California. Second, many districts will no longer reflect natural geography or community ties. Third, minority groups lose their voice in several districts.
Underscoring how corrupt this proposal really is, Newsom and state politicians have shamefully crafted an outrageously deceptive ballot title that claims a YES vote on their scheme to give politicians back the power to gerrymander is actually a vote in favor of a statewide “policy of independent redistricting by citizens.”
They literally are going to lie to voters on their ballots with this misleading title – showing just how unfair they are prepared to make our elections.
That’s why I’m leading a campaign to educate voters before it is too late – and I invite you to join the fight for fair elections at www.ReformCalifornia.org
Even if voters are deceived by the ballot title and this corrupt proposal passes, we can expect years of costly litigation because Newsom and state politicians are violating numerous state constitutional provisions and federal laws.
While I share disdain for what is happening in Texas with gerrymandering, the solution is not to end our good practice of independent and non-partisan redistricting in California. Let’s send a message that gerrymander – no matter who does it, no matter where – is not acceptable.
Let’s vote Newsom’s plan down – and score a win for fair elections in our state.
Carl DeMaio is a member of the California State Assembly and chairman of Reform California.