Polls show a major partisan divide on Proposition 50, the ballot measure pushed by California Democrats to help the party’s efforts to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives and stifle President Trump’s agenda.
In a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times, more than 9 out of 10 Democrats support Proposition 50 and a similar proportion of Republicans oppose it. Among voters who belong to other parties, or identify as “no party preference,” 57% favored the ballot measure, while 39% opposed it.
So what if you are still trying to decide?
Here is what the two sides are saying:
(Nicole Vas / Los Angeles Times)
Yes on Proposition 50
“Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years. With Prop. 50, you can stop Republicans in their tracks. Prop. 50 puts our elections back on a level playing field, preserves independent redistricting over the long term, and lets the people decide. Return your ballot today.”
—Barack Obama
“Here’s the thing. We must win the House. If you talk about ‘no kings,’ we must win the House to put a stop to this. We won’t be able to get many things done, but we’ll be able to stop a lot of the poison that he’s putting there, and the best antidote to poison is to win the election.”
“But these are not normal times. There’s too much at stake.”
“It was made necessary by the president’s decision to tell Republican governors that they needed to do a very rare mid-decade reapportionment … they’re afraid of losing their majority in Congress.”
Sacramento Bee: “We normally would not endorse an initiative that seeks to replace a nonpartisan, widely praised method of drawing congressional districts with a partisan one designed to help one political party over another…. [But a] ‘Yes’ vote on Prop. 50 represents the most public attempt yet to combat Trump by potentially adding seats for Democrats in California.” Read full editorial here.
Santa Rosa Press-Democrat: “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.” Read full editorial here.
(Nicole Vas / Los Angeles Times)
No on Proposition 50
“They are trying to fight for democracy by getting rid of the democratic principles of California. It is insane to let that happen… They want to dismantle this independent commission. They want to get rid of it under the auspices of we have to fight Trump. It doesn’t make any sense to me because we have to fight Trump, [yet] we become Trump.”
—Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Newsom’s scheme is an unprecedented assault on democracy and good government in our state. But gerrymandering is a plague on democracy wherever it occurs.”
“It takes away the integrity of the process and the people’s faith in it the more these games get played in this state and every other state.”
—Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale)
“Our voice will be deleted. This is politics by the governor, and his party takes away our voice.”
—Doug Verboon, Kings County supervisor
Orange County Register: “Prop. 50 tosses aside the congressional maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in favor of maps drawn by and for the benefit of politicians. In a healthy democracy, you want voters to be the ones choosing their politicians. With Prop. 50, you have politicians choosing their voters.” Read full editorial here.
San Diego Union-Tribune: “Proposition 50 thus could go a long way toward helping Democrats take back control of the House, putting limits on Trump’s sway over national politics. Given his transgressive and reckless use of power, this argument will appeal to many moderates and independents. But the counterarguments are also hefty. Copying Trump’s bullying to gain power is unhealthy for a democracy because it normalizes such behavior even more.” Read full editorial here.
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