Artwork / Simón Malvaez
The Shade of Prop 50
I call shade.
By now, Californians will have received their Statewide Special Election ballot in the mail.
To recap for all of you: Proposition 50 requests to temporarily change congressional district maps in California in response to the partisan redistricting efforts in the state of Texas under H.B. 4 (PlanC2333). Both state and federal laws require that congressional districts have roughly equal populations and do not discriminate based on race or ethnicity.
If Prop 50 in California passes, it would allow the state to use new, legislature-drawn maps for elections from 2026 to 2030, instead of those created by the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Governor Newsom's Proposition 50 aims to counteract what he describes as Frump's attempts to undermine democracy, particularly through congressional redistricting in Texas.
The opposition to Texas's gerrymandering stems from concerns that redistricting dilutes minority voting power and unfairly favors one political party over another. In doing so, opponents of Texas's efforts claim redistricting efforts benefit Republicans while undermining equal representation in the U.S. Congress.
Beginning today, October 7th, you can vote by mail, with drop boxes opening for your convenience. In-person voting for Proposition 50 in California will start on October 25, 2025, at designated voting centers across the state.
Therefore, in California, we need to vote YES on Prop 50. It is an annoying situation, no matter how you look at it. We all see what and who Governor Newsom is targeting. Under the Frump regime, we are heading in the wrong direction, and Newsom is playing fire with fire.
Or, as according to the golden rule of drag: "If someone throws shade at me, I'm going to throw shade back." It's basically wig snatching.