On Tuesday, California voters cast their ballots on Prop 50, an effort by Democrats to pick up more seats in Congress, countering moves by President Trump in other states to add Republican districts.
KNX News’ Pete Demetriou spoke with people who are voting in favor of Prop 50 in Santa Monica and West L.A., while KNX News’ Emily Valdez spoke with voters in Beverly Hills who are voting against Prop 50.
Why voters are against Prop 50:
One man told Valdez he was voting against Prop 50 because “two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“This is already a highly gerrymandered state,” he said. “What's going on in Texas is not good. I don't favor gerrymandering, but we cannot, in order to fix a national issue of gerrymandering, disenfranchise hundreds of thousands and millions of potential Republican voters in this state, regardless of one's political party. It is undemocratic and it undermines the very nature of our democratic system.”
Another man said one reason he’s voting no is because he “votes against anything Newsom supports,” while another man said he voted no because he believes Newsom is “strictly doing this to enhance his status as the de facto leader and vanguard of the Democratic Party so that he can be the nominee in 2028.”
One woman said she couldn’t vote in favor of Prop 50 because she doesn’t believe Newsom “should have that much power” and that it’s not the right thing to do.
Why voters are in favor of Prop 50:
One woman told Demetriou she voted yes because she believes “we need to even the playing field.”
“I feel like we're being bullied with this administration,” she explained.
Another woman said she voted yes because she believes in “checked government,” and a third woman said it was “the way to go to protect our ultimate rights.”
One man said he believed Prop 50 was “necessary to meet the things that Texas, Missouri, and Florida are doing,” while another man said he wants the “democratic process to be preserved.”
Demetriou reported that of 20 people he spoke with, only four indicated they were voting against Prop 50. He also said that the vast majority of people he spoke to were unaware that Democrats hold 43 of the 52 congressional seats in the House.
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