Drawing Congressional lines: Experts weigh in on Prop 50 and what's next

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Proposition 50 will put the power of California's Congressional district lines in the hands of voters. Republicans are calling it a Democratic power grab, while Democrats say it's necessary to fight Republican redistricting in Texas.

For 15 years, California's Congressional district lines have been drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, a group that follows strict rules that govern how districts should be divided so the people of California are fairly represented in Congress. Proposition 50 would take the redistricting process out of the hands of the commission and allow elected officials to draw district lines. It's expected to give Democrats five more seats in Congress.

Linda Akutagawa, a non-partisan member of the commission, explained on Eyewitness Newsmakers how she and her 13 fellow commission members determined the district lines in 2020. They followed six criteria, including listening to the concerns of Californians.

"We took over 36,000 pieces of input from Californians sharing with us what they think is important to their communities, that their communities have a common interest. This is a great example along the eastern edge of California, to the east of the Sierra Nevada," Akutagawa said. "We heard from a number of people from that area that said, 'Do not put us in a district where we're aligned with a larger city like Fresno or Bakersfield,' because when that happens, they felt that they did not have proper representation because most of the elected officials then focused on what the needs of the larger city had."

All recent polls show a majority of Californians plan to vote "yes" on Proposition 50. ABC News Washington, DC Bureau Chief Rick Klein explained how far-reaching this vote will be.

"This is happening in 2025, but it might be that this is the biggest event that impacts 2026 and 2028. Of course, we've seen Republicans in other states, most prominently Texas, and a handful of others that are still working on it, try to redraw districts, redraw maps, to try to pick up seats," Klein said.

Eyewitness News Political Reporter Josh Haskell weighed in, agreeing that November's vote goes beyond the 2026 midterms.

"Newsom's made this argument that we may not have an election again, that this is about the future of democracy, that it's all riding on what happens here in California, and that it starts with California. It's really up to the voters... It's hard to run a special election. Turnout is normally low in special elections, but I think even Newsom himself has been surprised by the outpouring of support," Haskell explained.

To hear more from Linda Akutagawa, Josh Haskell and Rick Klein, watch Eyewitness Newsmakers.