Dear Californian: Vote “No” & Early on Proposition 50

By Jennifer Callahan

Dear Californian,

You recently received a piece of mail that puts the future of our state’s election integrity in your hands. Voting “no” on Proposition 50, and submitting your ballot early, is essential to preserve the people’s power. 

As biased toward progressivism as California feels, our process for drawing balanced congressional maps has been considered the gold standard for redistricting in the United States. Our state constitution requires that maps are drawn by an impartial committee of citizens, free of political dealing and conducted in full view of the public.

We fought for this right in 2008, and won. Then, in 2010, sneaky politicians tried to snatch back the right to draw maps. Luckily, voters shot it down with a 61% vote.

The maps currently in place were drawn by an independent committee that spent nearly a year drawing them, after holding over 100 public meetings and welcoming voter comments. With input from citizens, the committee was able to build a map that reflects the whole of California with near accuracy.

Instead of respecting the democratic process by which citizens are involved in the creation of these maps, Governor Newsom is allocating a staggering $282 million dollars of taxpayer money to suspend the outcome of their vote, all in the name of “defending democracy”.

Newsom says that Proposition 50 is a way to fight “fire with fire” to stop Trump’s national agenda and that it’s temporary— expiring in 2030. 

What’s not mentioned is that Democratic politicians have been vying for this control for nearly two decades, long before Trump took office, and that this tit-for-tat strategy is unlikely to hinder Trump’s plans for the country.

No, this is about the people of California, and the irreparable harm that passing this measure will cause. It isn’t remedial, or merely a retaliatory response to Texas Republicans’ redistricting efforts. It’s a premeditated power grab.

Gerrymandering, no matter what state it’s in, should be illegal. All maps should be drawn by an independent commission of voters, according to the needs of each district, and representative of a fabric of voices, not a single party. Californians already have this right and should guard it fiercely.

If politicians can draw maps that guarantee their re-election, what incentive do they have to work hard on behalf of their constituents? Without competition, accountability, or opposition, they’ll be able to accelerate their reckless spending and one-sided ideological policies. 

This special election is not in voters’ best interest, but in politicians’.

Newsom is hoping you won’t spot the difference. In fact, he’s spending over $138 million of PAC money, including $10 million given by George Soros, on campaigning in favor of the proposition in order to put the new maps in place by the 2026 midterms.

If passed, California’s maps would go from a current report card grade of “B” to an “F” for “aggressive Democratic gerrymander,” according to Princeton University's non-partisan Gerrymandering Project. 

These new maps “crack” red-leaning suburbs by merging them with Democratic-majority urban districts, directly countering the 2024 Trump gains that boosted GOP turnout. That means of the ten counties that flipped red, six of them would become deep blue.

They will also increase the voter registration advantage of the Democrats in seven swing districts, while helping only one swing district lean more Republican. 

On a national level, Proposition 50 will flip up to five key U.S. House of Representative seats. Republicans would have just four of 52 seats, or 8% of the vote, despite nearly 40% of Californians voting Republican in 2024.

Furthermore, it would cement the Democratic supermajority, silencing millions of independent and conservative voices. This takes our state from diverse leadership to unilateral rule, diluting civic engagement, and eroding trust in our government.

Yet, there’s a simple way of shutting this proposition down. Vote no, and vote early. Special elections have notoriously low turnout, especially from Republicans. That means your vote can make a difference, if only you don’t sit this one out.

Vote day-of if you must, but the preference, and what will make the most difference, is for you to drop off your completed ballot early. You can find your ballot drop location here.

If you’re hesitant to vote by mail or drop an early ballot, just know that Democrats aren’t. Over 80% of California ballots in the 2024 election were cast by mail. With Democrats stacking millions of ballots up before November 4, Republicans will not be able to catch up to that advantage with a single day of in-person voting.

For peace of mind, you can track your ballot at Ballot Trax.

California is in the beginning stages of transformation. In 2024, there was without a doubt a red wave driven by voter dissatisfaction. That means much needed change is within our grasp, especially if Voter ID initiatives are successful. But we’re not out of the woods yet.

Vote today, then make sure your parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors do the same. We don’t need to convince the “yes on 50” crowd that a “no” vote will help defend democracy, we only need to cast our ballots to prove it.

In time they will know that we were fighting for them, too. All in the name of free elections. 

Dear California,

Vote early. Vote no.

Jennifer Callahan is a California conservative and founder of the publication Milieu. Her writing wades through the nuances of politics and culture with a bit of common sense and critical thinking, and encourages you to do the same. You can find her on Instagram @jennifercallahan.