Redistricting California: Role of Resistance and Partisanship in Prop 50
- Angie Barrios Mackepeace
- Oct 23
- 5 min read
By Angie Barrios Mackepeace (she/they), Editor-In-Chief of Gente Cuaderno
As part of the Election Rigging Response Act1, created to combat the overpowering actions of Donald Trump’s administration, California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, has called a Special Election proposing Proposition 50 to authorize the use of new congressional district maps2. California will vote on the proposition until November 4th, and if Prop 50 is passed, the proposed districts will go into effect starting 2026, in time for the midterm elections. The proposition, if passed in California, will likely give Democrats an additional five seats to offset Texas’ new anticipated Republican seats in the House of Representatives.
Gov. Newsom has taken many initiatives against President Trump’s partisan policies. His legislative package that puts forth Prop 50 is a direct counter-move to Texas’ recent redistricting, pushed by Trump himself. Such counteraction has become increasingly necessary considering the drastic and targeted action that the Trump administration has taken to ensure a Republican partisan advantage. This Special Election enables Californians to take a stand against Trump’s efforts.
The Republican party has maintained a vast control of the federal government since 2024 with President Trump’s election, a majority in the current House of Representatives, and the appointment of several Supreme Court justices by Republican presidents. However, with the Trump administration’s diminishing approval ratings3, unpredictability, and widely criticized disregard for constitutional law, an unfavorable midterm season may lie ahead.
The result of the estimated five additional Republican seats in Congress is a better chance at another majority-Republican House in Congress, which would help facilitate the passage of Trump’s federal legislation in the second half of his term. The House of Representatives currently has a Republican majority of 219 members, with 213 Democratic members and 3 vacant seats. So far, the House has aided the passing of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,”4 a major platform of his that is widely endorsed by Republicans and supporters of Project 20255. The effort to maintain a Republican majority is a clear example of partisanship: strong and sometimes blind adherence and loyalty to a specific party.
Midterms signal the end of House of Representatives office-holders’ terms and the chance for eligible voters in their corresponding district to elect representatives. Each district within a state has a Representative, and districts are meant to reflect populations, hence the process of redistricting. This redrawing of congressional district maps usually takes place following the completion of the U.S. Census, which provides data on population changes.
However, the redistricting happening across the U.S. in recent months6 is a result of gerrymandering, the unconstitutional practice of drawing district lines in ways that skew election outcomes7. In Texas, governor Greg Abbott, signed off on a new congressional district map that pushes more of the democratic-voting population into as few districts as possible, and groups the remaining smaller populations of democratic voters with large Republican populations, making more Republican districts8. This process is known as “packing” and “cracking,” and the result is an unfair and inaccurate representation of the state’s voting population. The move to redistrict Texas is not prohibited by law, however, the proposed map eliminates two minority-majority districts and opponents are citing the 1965 Voting Rights Act’s provisions against racial gerrymandering.
The pushback of Proposition 50, Texas’ recent unusual redistricting, and Governor Newsom’s ongoing outward disapproval of the federal government’s exertion of power is evidence of the extreme partisanship that promotes division and conflict at the state and local level. Lawmakers in Texas, California, and other key electoral states justify the use of gerrymandering as a preemptive protection of democracy in the upcoming midterms.
President Trump’s push for Texas’ redistricting already set the stage for calculated mid-decade redistricting, and as Prop 50 supporters explain, such action will be responded to with equally purposed changes. The proposed map does not radically change the current racial and geographic representation of California’s current map9, but it lacks the deliberation and consideration that the Citizen’s Redistricting Commission (CRC) gives to its district map. Governor Newsom and supporters of his framework10 see the amendment as a temporary defensive move against threats to democracy.
Citizen voting power has always been a cornerstone to the U.S.’s democratic electoral system. California’s CRC began drawing Congressional districts in 2010, working with the public and closely following the Voting Rights Act to protect the rights and representation of all voters and voting minorities. Proposition 50 opposers see the new map, drawn by data expert Paul Mitchell, as a regressive step in redistricting transparency11. However, given the tone being set for the midterms, Newsom and supporters see this as a necessary protection.
Voters are encouraged to consider the long-term effects of this new proposition and the bigger message that it sends to lawmakers following in line with Trump’s plans to maintain power in all branches of government. These drastic measures may seem out of step for California and the democratic system, but both have already been affected by the harsh and unforgiving force that is Trump’s administration. The momentum has not let up since the beginning of his term, and states everywhere are trying to create viable safeguards for citizens being affected by his policies. With democratic integrity at stake, this move will mark a new level of political contention in an already heated political stage.
For more about the legislative package, see “Governor Newsom signs ‘Election Rigging Response Act,” gov.ca.gov
For more about new Congressional district maps, see “Proposition 50,” lao.ca.gov
For more about Donald Trump recent approval ratings, see “Tracking the presidency” polling, The Economist
For more about Congress passing the “One Big Big Beautiful Bill,” see One Big Beautiful Bill Act, congress.gov
For a more about Project 2025, see P2025 Study Guide (Español), Gente Organizada
For further reading, see “Redistricting spreads among states after Trump’s urging,” AP News
For more information on redistricting, see “Redistricting 101,” ACLU
For an in-depth analysis of Texas’ redistricting, see “Texas redistrict map…,” The Texas Tribune
For more about the effects of Prop 50’s new Congressional district map, see “How Would the Prop 50 Redistricting Plan Affect Racial and Geographic Representation?,” PPIC
For more about Gov. Newsom’s plan and his supporters’ statements, see “Governor Newsom launches statewide response to Trump rigging Texas’ elections,” gov.ca.gov
For more on NO ON PROP 50, see “Gerrymandering Report,” noonprop50.org
Angie Barrios Mackepeace is a proud member of the Gente Organizada & Pomona community, currently working as Narrative Change Organizer & Editor and Gente Cuaderno’s Editor-In-Chief. She currently studies Creative Writing and Political Science at Chapman University.