In conclusion
Even Democrats find it morally dubious to abandon independent redistricting for congressional seats, which California voters supported, in order to oppose President Trump.
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Democrats are dealing with a more subdued angst inside their own party as Republicans criticized California lawmakers for hurrying through their attempt to gerrymander the state’s congressional map.
They are urging voters to temporarily forgo California’s nonpartisan map-drawing process, which is hailed as a national gold standard for fair elections and good governance, in favor of a politically-drawn map that tilts seats in favor of Democrats in order to thwart what they claim is President Donald Trump’s undemocratic power grab for Republican seats in Texas.
They will have to defeat not only Republican opponents at the polls, but also some Democrats and independent voters who argue that California shouldn’t use the same disapproved-of strategies at home in response to political gerrymandering in Texas.
At a hearing on the bills Tuesday, Sara Sadhawani, a political science professor, Democrat, and former member of the state’s independent redistricting commission, stated that every California voter would be confronted with this type of moral dilemma if it were to go to the ballot.
After the 2020 Census, Sadhawani joined other Democrats, Republicans, and independents on the commission to help create the state’s current congressional map. She is currently one of the most outspoken backers of Governor Gavin Newsom’s partisan redistricting initiative.
She stated during her Tuesday testimony in support of the measure that lawmakers need to address the harsh criticisms of our fundamental democratic values in Texas and other red states that are thinking about redoing their own maps.
“Seeing the maps that we fairly passed by the Commission thrown aside is not something I enjoy,” she remarked. In my opinion, this is an essential step in a larger fight to support free and fair elections in our country.
There are concerns among Democrats statewide, despite the fact that state and federal Democrats support the proposal as their response to people demanding that the party reject Trump.
The Republicans, who have pledged to oppose Newsom in court and at the polls, were on the opposing side of the debate in the hearing rooms. Rather, opponents called on Democrats Jeanne Raya and Cynthia Dai and an independent Connie Archbold Robinson, who served on previous impartial redistricting committees, to testify against the bills.
According to Robinson, California has been viewed as the model and alternative by our folks in other regions of the nation who are being held captive by leaders that do not represent their interests. In addition to losing our reputation, the excellent work we have been doing there would be reversed and halted if we destroy it.
Voters backed independent redistricting
By a narrow vote in 2008, voters ratified the nonpartisan procedure for redrawing California’s political maps into the state constitution. Just as Republicans launched a nationwide campaign to flip state legislatures in order to increase the number of GOP House seats in states like Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Michigan, they supported the use of the same independent mechanism to create new congressional maps in 2010.
Just over half of all states grant their legislatures direct authority to create congressional maps, which means that the party in power can slant seats in their favor. Three other states follow a similar procedure to California.
In California, Democrats had a slight advantage due to the present congressional layout. Republicans in California, meanwhile, have generally been happy with the plan, despite criticism from Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance that it is unjust to the GOP. In the party map that voters will probably choose this fall, it preserved competitive districts that the GOP has been able to win or fought hard for districts that would be removed.
Voters in the state are almost two times as likely to be Democrats than Republicans.Voters support independent redistricting by roughly the same percentage, according to recent polling.
California vs. Texas
Democrats have mainly relied on portraying the redistricting plan as a battle against Trump and, strangely, in support of more equitable elections across the country in order to persuade the public to support it. Democrats questioned the former map-drawers in the state Senate elections committee on whether it would ever be appropriate for them to create new districts for political purposes and whether California should take action in response to Texas’s attempts.
Riverside Democrat Sen. Sabrina Cervantes stated that Texas is intentionally lowering the number of seats that they hold in the race. Do you really think our communities will keep quiet when their voices are being silenced in Washington?
Raya emphasized that she, too, found the Republican gerrymandering attempt in Texas and the Trump administration repugnant.
We’re dealing with people’s dejection at the state of politics right now, she remarked. This isn’t about calling for an emergency, in my opinion. What should we do now? In other words, we must take action every day to ensure that the system functions, and now we must defend the impartiality and independence of drawing boundaries.
However, senators from her party told her that now is not the time to go high.
Incoming Senate President Pro Tem Monique Lim, a Democrat from Santa Barbara, told the former commissioners, “I will speak for myself, the conditions have been met for us to take action.” Your efforts to defend our democracy are much appreciated and respected by me.
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