Proposition 50- NO. (text of the proposition here, pdf).

Gerrymandering undermines the power of the people, by allowing their representatives to choose who elects them. As such, it undermines the democratic legitimacy of any government that adopts it.

More broadly, it also punishes voting, in a way that I would argue violates the 1^st Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of association. The maps are drawn based on which parties people voted for, which means if you are a Republican in a now-Democratic district, you would have been better off not voting.

Many argue that we need to fight against Trump and the Republican party by any means necessary. As a matter of morality, I disagree. The means we choose shape the ends we can reach.

Finally, on a more pragmatic point- given how the Trump administration and their Republican allies in congress and the judiciary are currently wrecking the country, if the Democratic party needs those 5 gerrymandered seats for a majority in 2026 it will have failed. Either there is going to be a repudiation of the Republican party massive enough that 5 seats will not make a difference, acceptance of the current situation enough that 5 seats will not make a difference, or in the least likely scenario, those 5 seats are the margin of power in the House. And in that last scenario, the Democratic party will have failed to persuade most of the country that ICE raids tearing apart our communities, a lawless and unchecked executive branch, the destruction of our future through fossil fuel projects leading to increased global warming, and the many deaths caused by the dismantling of our public health systems and infrastructure more generally are cause to oppose a would-be monarch and his courtiers.

I have more confidence in both the Democratic party and the American people than that, even now.