Democrats are looking at California’s Prop. 50 campaign as a blueprint for redistricting

California is less than two weeks away from voters deciding whether to approve new congressional district lines Democrats across the country are jumping in to help push the ballot initiative through knowing it will be a decisive information point in their broader redistricting efforts State by state Republicans have delivered seats that are more friendly to their party as President Donald Trump looks for methods to preserve and grow the House majority ahead of next year s midterms But the Proposition ballot initiative in California is Democrats first opportunity to gain up to five seats tilted toward their party We re on the verge of winning Prop which is an essential and decisive response and there are ongoing efforts across the country including in Illinois to decide what is the next step to push back against the aggressive gerrymandering as part of Donald Trump s effort to rig the midterm elections House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries advised NOTUS when demanded about ongoing conversations regarding redistricting Our efforts across the country will be ongoing and continuous In California Democrats are aware of how much what they do could serve as a blueprint or momentum for other states Blue states like Virginia Illinois Maryland and New York have signaled interest in pursuing this path but Democrats in each state face various hurdles and timelines to do so If you re a Democratic leader in a red state you re cheering the action of California Democrats who are fighting the fight on your behalf and if you re a Democratic leader in a blue state where you have the legislature and or the governor s office you see close monitoring of what s going on here to get into the fight yourselves Rusty Hicks chair of the California Democratic Party narrated NOTUS So Illinois Maryland and New York wherever you can squeeze out a seat or two because North Carolina and Indiana and these other states are looking to do the same he continued California is the first state in which Democrats have begun redistricting in response to Republican efforts to redistrict their states under pressure from Trump If Proposition passes the new maps would be used until at which point the state s independent redistricting commission would again draw new ones based on the census However due to latest state-level reforms in blue states aimed at stopping political gerrymandering Democrats have fewer options when it comes to redistricting limiting their options to respond to Republican efforts Even California is legally required by state law to obtain voter approval for redistricting measures unlike other states like Texas where the process lies almost exclusively with the state Legislature Illinois and Virginia are two of the Democratic states as of now considering redistricting efforts I want Prop and in my opinion we have to do what we have to do in my state too Rep Robin Kelly of Illinois communicated NOTUS They re just getting into it more now but hopefully Prop will pass and that will be the role model Earlier in October Jeffries campaigned for Proposition with Rep Sydney Kamlager-Dove in Southern California Former President Barack Obama held a virtual campaign rally with Gov Gavin Newsom on Wednesday where he continued to make the situation that the outcome of the statewide initiative has national implications The Yes on campaign has also greatly outraised the No on Prop campaign raking in almost million compared to million the No on Prop campaign brought in according to CalMatters National Democratic figures are also putting in virtual appearances The Yes on campaign has steadily circulated ads featuring lawmakers from outside of California including Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett and Sens Chris Murphyand Elizabeth Warren When Donald Trump ordered Texas Republicans to rig the next electoral process they drew my seat off the map Crockett who is now mulling a Senate run says in one ad California our right to fair representation is in your hands With Prop you have the power to stop them she continues For the Yes on campaign that type of involvement is welcome Those messengers are an vital proof point for that and to sort of send that message home about what California can do and what s at stake in California but what s at stake nationally a spokesperson for the Yes on campaign commented This is what Californians can do broadly Warren advised NOTUS that she was glad to help get the word out about Proposition When the Republicans in Texas decided to change the rules and redistrict in the middle of an voting process cycle they affect the whole country So California stated they would put it to their voters and see if the voters craved to do the same thing in California and I endorsement that Warren reported NOTUS Mail-in voting has already begun in California with more than million ballots already turned in Voters can also cast their ballots at the polls on Nov This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS a publication from the nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute and NEWSWELL home of Times of San Diego Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia