Prop 50 Campaign

Neil Tsutsui helps Prop 50 campaign volunteers get started on Sept. 13.

Expecting a close vote on Proposition 50, the El Cerrito Democratic Club (ECDC) has launched a local campaign to persuade Democratic voters to cast ballots for the measure, nicknamed the Election Rigging Response Act.

Although the official special election date is Nov. 4, vote-by-mail ballots will be sent on Oct. 6 to every registered voter in California.

Undecided Voters

Early statewide polls and local canvassing that started Sept. 13 in El Cerrito revealed that many registered voters were undecided and often not yet familiar with the measure, according to ECDC President Neil Tsutsui. Many like the state’s independent redistricting commission, which would be temporarily suspended if Prop 50 passes.

When voters learned more about the measure, Tsutsui said, many of them supported it.

Tsutsui spoke to the Democratic club at its Sept. 23 meeting.

Winning voter approval of the measure is a critical step for voters who are concerned that the legislative branch of our government is not acting as a check to actions being taken by President Donald Trump, Tsutsui said.

“We Are in a Sprint.”

“If Prop 50 does not pass it is a grim scenario for the midterms,” Tsutsui said. “And so we are in a sprint,” Tsutsui said. “We have very little time if we’re going to get this passed.”

El Cerrito is a strongly Democratic city, but a huge vote in favor of Prop 50 can’t be taken for granted, Tsutsui said. There are 12,282 registered Democrats in a city with 17,774 registered voters, according to the county elections office.

Recent polls show about half of voters statewide approve of the measure. For instance, a UC Berkeley poll published Sept. 25 found 48% of likely voters supported and 32% opposed. That leaves about 20% who are not in either camp.

Republican billionaire Charles Munger Jr. has already spent tens of millions on TV ads opposing Prop 50 and several anti-50 flyers have been delivered to voters’ mailboxes. Opponents attack Prop 50 with the accusation that it is undemocratic.

Big Campaign Hopes for Oct. 4-5

For the door-to-door campaign in El Cerrito, the most important weekend will be Oct. 4-5, Tsutsui said. Congressman John Garamendi will drop by to cheer on the canvassers on Oct. 4 (unless an emergency keeps him in Washington, D.C.)

People interested in helping can sign up at https://mobilize.us/s/zqgb6L. Other ways to support Prop 50 are also posted on the Mobilize.us website.

What’s in the Proposition?

Prop 50 is a response to the Texas Legislature’s decision to redraw that state’s congressional district boundaries to create five more Republican districts. President Donald Trump asked for that change to do everything possible to keep control of the House of Representatives in the November 2026 elections.

Before the Texas action, there was a good chance Democrats could retake the House. Democrats were only three seats away from getting the 218 seats needed for a majority, Tsutsui said.

Prop 50 would counter the Texas gerrymandering by creating five more Democratic districts in California. This requires temporarily suspending California’s independent redistricting commission that draws the boundaries for congressional districts.

The California Legislature has approved new maps intended to create five more Democratic districts. For a link to those maps go to the end of this story.

The independent redistricting commission would resume after the next census in 2030.

Flurry of Redistricting

Missouri has moved to add one more Republican seat -- although that’s being challenged in court – and there could be a flurry of redistricting in other states, Tsutsui said.

Champagne Brown, past president of ECDC and a member of the NAACP statewide political action committee, said many Republican states have already done a lot of pro-Republican gerrymandering so they won’t be able to add a lot more seats.

Many registered Democratic voters are concerned about suspending the independent redistricting commission, and some theorize that Republicans control more state legislatures so they can ultimately win a redistricting war.

At the ECDC meeting, Brown urged Democrats to “play the long game” and keep in mind that it’s not clear what will happen in New York and Illinois.

Who Supports 50?

Brown said some members of the NAACP were concerned that the new districts would not provide as much representation for African American voters. But ultimately they supported it.

Madeline Kronenberg, a long-time leader in the Contra Costa chapter of the League of Women Voters, responded to a question about the league’s position. There have been claims that the league opposes Prop 50.

Kronenberg said that on a national level, the league has taken a position in favor of independent redistricting. It has joined a lawsuit challenging the recent Texas redistricting. The league decided to abstain on Prop 50 and has issued a statement on that, she said.

Other supporters include Planned Parenthood, the California Teachers' Association, the California Federation of Labor Unions, and the Service Employees International Union.

ECDC Treasurer Ed Crowley said he’s concerned that some people may vote against Prop. 50 because they don’t like Gov. Gavin Newsom, who proposed taking the action. Crowley said he doesn’t like Newsom’s ads.

But Crowley added, “All the big money is coming in from the right wing nuts. We have to do what it takes to win.”

The outreach by ECDC started on Saturday, Sept. 13. Volunteers who had signed up in advance with Mobilize.us met each other and Tsutsui at Cerrito Vista Park to get their flyers, a walklist for the PDI Mobile app, and instructions on how to do the job.

Drop Box and In-Person Voting

For people who do not want to return their ballots by mail, there will be a 24-hour secure drop box at El Cerrito City Hall. The box is only accessible by the city’s election official and county election staff.

A city bulletin added: “There is no involvement with the U.S. Postal Service and the box is under the city’s video surveillance system. The box will be unlocked by Oct. 6, 2025 and remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day.”

In-person voting will be available Oct. 31, Nov. 1, Nov. 3, and on Nov. 4, but only at the county’s regional centers. To find the closest location click here.

Link to the New Maps

To see the new temporary congressional maps click here.