Proposition 50 is, for all intents and purposes, a referendum on Donald Trump.
If you are satisfied with Trump’s actions since returning to the White House eight months ago, there’s little reason for you to vote for Prop. 50.
On the other hand, if you oppose Trump’s policies or you’re disturbed by his unilateral decision-making, facilitated by a docile Republican majority in Congress and a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices, Prop. 50 offers a potential antidote.
From our perspective, the choice is obvious.
Prop. 50 could help shift the balance of power, facilitating restoration of the constitutional system of checks and balances that has fallen by the wayside in Trump’s Washington.
The party holding the White House usually loses seats in a midterm election. Indeed, every president since George H.W. Bush has lost partisan control of at least one house of Congress. To try to preserve a razor-thin GOP majority in the House of Representatives, Trump pressed Texas to draw new congressional maps giving Republicans an opportunity to gain five seats in 2026.
In short, he is trying to rig the midterm election in Republicans’ favor.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators responded with Prop. 50, which would give Democrats a chance to pick up five House seats here, offsetting the Texas gerrymander.
Texas’ maps already are in effect. Newsom’s plan must go on the ballot because California voters established an independent commission to draw legislative and congressional district boundary lines. Prop. 50 would create new congressional maps for the remainder of the decade. The commission would return after the 2030 census — the traditional time for adjusting political boundaries.
(Prop. 50 ballots go in the mail this week and are due back by Nov. 4.)
In Congress, power is exercised by the majority party. Republicans control the House and Senate, but they have effectively ceded control of the government to Trump. If Democrats win the House or Senate in 2026, they can act as a check on Trump administration actions, such as separating families through immigration raids, clawing back billions of dollars in research grants and slashing funding for health care.
Democrats also would be empowered to conduct oversight and exercise Congress’ constitutional authority over $7 trillion in annual federal spending during the final two years of Trump’s presidency. Trump clearly is desperate to avoid accountability.
These mid-decade gerrymanders don’t meet any definition of good government — and they may have been avoided if the Supreme Court hadn’t gutted the Voting Rights Act and subsequently limited the authority of federal courts to intervene in cases of partisan gerrymandering.
The Press Democrat supported the ballot measures that established California’s independent redistricting commission. This model ought to be the national standard.
But if Republicans are going to put their thumb on the electoral scales, Democrats can’t be expected to meekly cede any opportunity to influence policy in Washington.
Among the arguments presented against Prop. 50 is the cost of a statewide special election, which will exceed $200 million. Republicans expressed no such concern when they tried to recall Newsom in a special election. Critics say Prop. 50 undermines the will of the voters, but the new congressional boundaries can only take effect with approval of the voters. Opponents claim independent redistricting will never return, but Prop. 50 specifically restores the commission’s authority after the 2030 census. Only the voters can change that.
Voters will ultimately decide who controls Congress after the 2026 midterms, but there ought to be a level playing field for the election. The Press Democrat recommends a yes vote on Prop. 50.