California has long been a model for democracy done right. We argue loudly, vote passionately, and still trust that our voices matter. Proposition 50 threatens that trust.
We are Republicans, independents,and Democrats living from the very north of the state to the southern border. We serve together on California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC). We don’t agree on everything, but we share one belief: democracy belongs to the people, not politicians.
Like many Californians, we were conflicted when we first heard about Proposition 50. What Texas is doing is abhorrent — a mid-decade gerrymander designed to give Republicans five more congressional seats. And yes, the current administration’s attacks on democratic norms are alarming. It’s natural to want to fight back.
We understand the anger, the exhaustion, and the fear that our democracy is slipping away. We feel it, too.
But copying undemocratic tactics, even in protest, doesn’t strengthen democracy — it weakens it by empowering politicians over the people. California has been leading by example. This is why the presidential administration is afraid of us, Californians, not afraid of our politicians.
Here’s what Proposition 50 really does: it strips citizens of their power to draw fair maps, and it hands that power back to politicians in Sacramento. It would allow them to decide which voters count, instead of letting voters choose the leader who reflects their values and will work for their priorities. That’s the definition of gerrymandering — and it’s exactly what Californians rejected when they created the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
After the vommission completed the maps in 2021, a Democratic leader told us we “left five seats on the table.” That puzzled us. We drew all 52 congressional districts based on census data and more than 35,000 pieces of public input. But then we realized what they meant: they had their own maps — ones that would have created five additional safe Democratic seats.
That’s politics as usual. And that’s exactly why voters created the CRC — to stop politicians from putting party above people.
Don’t be fooled, career politicians have never supported independent redistricting. When California voters passed Prop. 11, which established the independent redistricting commission, the state’s political establishment — including key Democratic leaders and the California Democratic Party — opposed it. They said it was too risky, complicated, and expensive to let citizens draw the maps. Furthermore, these same career politicians opposed Proposition 20, which gave the CRC authority to draw California’s Congressional district, and supported Proposition 27 that if passed, would have eliminated independent redistricting. Many of those same Californian politicians now claim to “support” independent redistricting and that bypassing the CRC is temporary. Prop. 50 pretends to be reform, but it’s really just politicians using public anger to lock in their own power.
Thankfully, voters disagreed with the politicians then and disagree now according to recent public survey. According to the September 2025 Common Cause Redistricting Poll, 78% of California voters support a boundary-drawing process that puts community interest ahead of political advantage and 80% support having an independent commission of citizens draw electoral districts instead of state lawmakers.
We understand why many voters feel torn. Watching Texas and other states try to rig the 2026 congressional elections is infuriating. It feels unfair that we play by the rules while others cheat. But the answer to a national problem isn’t to destroy California’s solution. If we abandon our community-centered congressional maps, the people of California lose their political power and the model that gives hope to voters across the country.
California can’t gerrymander its way out of a national problem. Texas’s maps are still in legal limbo, and Republican states like New Hampshire and Indiana have refused to redraw their districts. Leaders across the political spectrum know the truth: if everyone cheats the system, voters lose — and democracy pays the price.
Meanwhile, Proposition 50 would hurt Californians, especially independents, Republicans, our rural neighbors, and other communities already struggling to be heard. When the commission drew the maps, we listened to thousands of Californians — farmworkers in the Central Valley, veterans in San Diego, small business owners in Fresno — all asking for one thing: to keep their communities together. The gerrymandered maps of Prop. 50 were drawn quickly by politicians with no public input and randomly split those communities apart.
We’re voting No on Proposition 50 because:
• We believe in fair representation for all Californians, regardless of party or ZIP code.
• We believe the Citizens Redistricting Commission — the gold standard of democracy — must remain independent for future generations.
• We believe democracy belongs to the people, not to politicians seeking short-term advantage.
• We’ve been here before. Californians fixed gerrymandering once. Let’s not break it now.
Join us — Republicans, independents,and Democrats alike — in standing up for fairness and democracy.
Vote No on Proposition 50. Because fairness isn’t blue or red — it’s Californian.
Peter Blando, Alicia Fernandez, Neal Fornaciari, Antonio Le Mons, Patricia Sinay, Derric Taylor and Angela M. Vázquez serve on the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. They write in their personal capacity and the views expressed are their own and do not represent the commission.