Political watchers nationwide excitedly awaited the passage of California’s groundbreaking Proposition 50 (Election Rigging Response Act), a ballot proposal meant to combat gerrymandering efforts in Texas. Now other states are taking notes on how to do the same. But the question remains whether or not referendums that harm Black voting rights in red states can be reversed in blue states.
Earlier this year, Texas Democrats broke quorum and called out their colleagues over racially gerrymandered maps. Despite their efforts to hold out, the Texas Legislature passed the maps at the expense of Black Texans and other voters of color. But California Governor Gavin Newsom fast-tracked his own plans to redraw five of his state’s congressional maps, offsetting Texas’s maps.
According to the Associated Press (AP), 64.4% (or 7,437,665) Californians voted ‘Yes’ and 35.6% (or 4,108,344) voted ‘No.’ A large portion of the vote share came from cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa. The map will be in place for the next three election cycles.
“This isn’t politics as usual; it’s an emergency for our democracy,” said California State Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson in a statement. “Trump’s scheme to rig the next election poses a serious threat to democracy, and especially to Blacks; Proposition 50 provides an important mechanism to ensure voters have a say in how district boundaries are drawn in California.”
Jackson emphasized that Proposition 50 will empower California voters rather than unelected commissions. He joined the Legislative Black Caucus, the United Domestic Workers (UDW), the California Teachers Association (CTA), and Newsom in supporting Prop 50.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries explained the domino effect Prop 50 will have on other states.
“Prop 50 is going to be successful, and that will wipe out whatever it is that Texas Republicans and Donald Trump thought they were doing in the Lone Star State. And then, of course, from there we go state by state by state,” said Jeffries in an interview with MSNBC on Oct. 23.
“We’ll do that in Ohio. We can do the same thing in Missouri. We’re collecting signatures right now in Missouri to invalidate that gerrymandered map where they tried to wipe away the district in Kansas City represented wonderfully by Reverend Congressman Emanuel Cleaver….Then, of course, they’ve got North Carolina. This, that, or the other state, a handful that they’ll try to go in. And I think Democratic governors have also been clear in Illinois, in Maryland in particular, saying we will respond forcefully and appropriately. And that’s the Democratic position all across the country.”
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