In California, a special election was held Nov. 4 where voters decided on Proposition 50, a measure that authorizes temporary changes to congressional district maps through 2030. The new map, which would be drawn by the state legislature and approved by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, was proposed in response to Texas’s own redistricting Aug. 20 that added five possible Republican congressional seats to the state. Typically, district maps are only redrawn every 10 years with the census.

Prop 50 and Texas’s redistricting proposition are examples of gerrymandering, the practice of drawing electoral districts to gain an advantage over rival political parties or dilute voting power for specific racial or ethnic groups. The result of gerrymandering is often that the representatives for a particular district are not representative of a true majority for that area. Both Prop 50 and Texas’s redistricting are examples of this. 

Washington state has its own history of gerrymandering for political gain. One of the most controversial redistrictings occurred in 2011 when the 9th Congressional District was drawn to heavily favor the Democratic Party. In 2012, this was brought to a federal court in Washington, but was dismissed by the court. Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science Patrick Schoettmer addressed the possibility of Washington seeing a version of Prop 50 proposed.

“Washington has already said they do not intend to pursue such a measure. Even if Democrats pursued it, I doubt they would be able to pick up any more seats than what they already have,” Schoettmer said.

In Washington, there are 10 Congressional districts. Six of these districts are typically Democratic, three are Republican and the last is considered a swing district, meaning that the support for the two major political parties is relatively equal. The Democratic party in Washington currently holds all six of the left-leaning districts, the swing district and one of the traditionally right-leaning districts.

“Democrats and Republicans are in a political arms race, looking to squeeze every advantage they can in an effort to seize or retain control of Congress in 2027. The knock-off effect of this will be to make Congress even less responsive to the will of voters, as districts become more partisan and the number of competitive districts continues to dwindle. This is not healthy for American democracy,” Schoettmer said.

In response to the measure, President Donald Trump stated that the Department of Justice would be filing a lawsuit against California, but that lawsuit has not yet materialized. Eight counties Donald Trump won in the 2024 election turned in favor of Prop 50 in the special election.

Renee Ng, a second-year chemistry major born and raised in the Bay Area in California, shared her thoughts on Prop 50. Ng stated that she will be voting yes in the election.

“My understanding of gerrymandering really propelled when it turned into this revenge, like, redirecting things, for people who saw the Republican [redistricting] as something that’s attacking their freedom,” Ng said.

As bipartisan collaboration in the Senate has steadily declined, the importance of a majority—and thus the importance of each individual seat—has reached an all-time high. Like Ng, many believe that redistricting is a necessary measure to counter a Republican power grab. Others are holding out on the principle that political redistricting is inherently wrong, regardless of the circumstances.

Mia Deluca, a California resident and Seattle University alumna, believes that all types of gerrymandering are illegal and should be treated as such. Because of this, she voted no on the measure.

“To me, it’s not an actual solving of the problem, it’s escalating games instead of looking to the root cause,” Deluca said.

Both parties launched targeted campaigns in California to sway voters. Prop 50 was passed Nov. 4, and the new maps will be put in place for the 2026 midterms, as well as the 2028 and 2030 elections.