As polls open for the midterm election and redistricting plan, California officials are urging people to get out and vote, as Proposition 50 will have an impact on residents.
Though her family has lived in the US for more than 200 years, California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber is only a second-generation voter — a reminder, she says, of the multiple challenges minority voters face in accessing the ballot box.
“My ancestors never got a chance to vote: not that they didn’t have the right to vote, but because of the difficulty and the challenges of being able to register,” said Weber Oct. 21, speaking at a special news briefing.
Weber’s family moved to California in the 1950s. Her father was in his 30s when he successfully registered to vote and cast his first ballot. “So we recognize — in our family, and in so many other families — just how precious this experience is. Having your voice, having the ability to vote, having it accessible, making it available to so many, is really, really important.”
“And that’s what we’ve been trying to do with every election here in California, with its very diverse population. The ability to be able to vote comfortably, and to be able to vote promptly, that really counts your ballot and makes sure your voice is heard,” she said.
Proposition 50 is the topic of discussion as voters decide whether the state should temporarily approve new House districts for California for the next three election cycles. The proposed districts were drawn in a way that would likely lead to more Democrats being elected to Congress.
The state currently has 43 Democrats and nine Republicans in the House. Proposition 50 could help Democrats flip as many as five of the Republican-held seats in the state. It could also help Democrats make several swing seats easier to win.
This proposal was created by Gov. Gavin Newsom and supported by the Democrats as a way to combat Texas’s early redistricting attempt to secure more Republican seats in Congress.
“I think it’s about our democracy,” he said. “It’s about the future of this republic. I think it’s about what the founding fathers lived and died for, this notion of the rule of law, and not the rule of Don.” Newsom said during his press conference on Oct. 26. “This rule of popular sovereignty, fundamentally, of co-equal branches of government, system of checks and balances is what they fought for.”
Secure ballot boxes were placed around the state. Weber emphasized that these are safe and cannot be carried off. “These are monstrosities. They’re like a tank made of steel and screwed into the ground. The only way you can access them is with a key,” Weber said. Ballot boxes will remain accessible for drop off until 8 pm on Nov. 4. Voters can search for their closest ballot box on this site: https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/
