Political watchers nationwide excitedly awaited the passage of California’s groundbreaking Proposition 50 (Election Rigging Response Act), a poll proposal meant to fight gerrymandering efforts in Texas. Now different states are taking notes on how one can do the identical. However the query stays whether or not or not referendums that hurt Black voting rights in pink states will be reversed in blue states.
Earlier this 12 months, Texas Democrats broke quorum and known as out their colleagues over racially gerrymandered maps. Regardless of their efforts to carry out, the Texas Legislature handed the maps on the expense of Black Texans and different voters of shade. However California Governor Gavin Newsom fast-tracked his personal plans to redraw 5 of his state’s congressional maps, offsetting Texas’s maps.
Based on the Related Press (AP), 64.4% (or 7,437,665) Californians voted ‘Sure’ and 35.6% (or 4,108,344) voted ‘No.’ A big portion of the vote share got here from cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa. The map will probably be in place for the following three election cycles.
“This isn’t politics as traditional; it’s an emergency for our democracy,” mentioned California State Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson in an announcement. “Trump’s scheme to rig the following election poses a severe menace to democracy, and particularly to Blacks; Proposition 50 supplies an essential mechanism to make sure voters have a say in how district boundaries are drawn in California.”
Jackson emphasised that Proposition 50 will empower California voters quite than unelected commissions. He joined the Legislative Black Caucus, the United Home Employees (UDW), the California Academics Affiliation (CTA), and Newsom in supporting Prop 50.
Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries defined the domino impact Prop 50 may have on different states.
“Prop 50 goes to achieve success, and that may wipe out no matter it’s that Texas Republicans and Donald Trump thought they had been doing within the Lone Star State. After which, after all, from there we go state by state by state,” mentioned Jeffries in an interview with MSNBC on Oct. 23.
“We’ll try this in Ohio. We are able to do the identical factor in Missouri. We’re gathering signatures proper now in Missouri to invalidate that gerrymandered map the place they tried to wipe away the district in Kansas Metropolis represented splendidly by Reverend Congressman Emanuel Cleaver….Then, after all, they’ve received North Carolina. This, that, or the opposite state, a handful that they’ll attempt to go in. And I feel Democratic governors have additionally been clear in Illinois, in Maryland particularly, saying we are going to reply forcefully and appropriately. And that’s the Democratic place all throughout the nation.”
