John, I’ll cut to the chase – Common Cause will not pre-emptively oppose mid-decade redistricting in California.

President Trump and Republican leaders in states like Texas are doing all they can to prevent the people from having a say in our future – enabling them to concentrate power as they cut our healthcare, kidnap our neighbors, and occupy our cities.

Simply put, we must focus our limited resources on that larger threat. We won’t call for unilateral political disarmament in the face of authoritarianism – or let our country’s balance of power be decided not by the voters, but by the will of one political party.  

That doesn’t require changing our core principles. Independent redistricting commissions are one way – and by far the best way – to draw fair maps and achieve fair representation for every single American.  

And as the past few weeks have demonstrated, when we let politicians draw maps, they’re going to abuse that power to hide from their voters, keep themselves in power, and deprive people of their voice in government.

That’s why we fought gerrymandering before the Supreme Court in Common Cause v. Rucho, and why ever since Trump directed his party’s governors to draw additional GOP districts for 2026, Common Cause Texas has gone all out to stop that vile power grab.

We oppose gerrymandering on principle – no matter who is doing it. We’ll evaluate any new maps proposed – in red, blue, and purple states – by our fairness criteria so we can respond to the most urgent threats to fair representation and put people, not parties, first.

In 2021, every member of Congress – including many of the California Republicans who will likely be drawn out of their seats – had a chance to solve this problem for good in all 50 states, but rejected it when they rejected the Freedom to Vote Act.

That bill would have created one national set of fair redistricting standards – and passing it is still the only permanent solution to the mess these politicians have created.

Two wrongs don’t make a right – and the Texas GOP’s decision to set off a nationwide race to the bottom on redistricting is going to leave voters in every state that tries it worse off – blue, red, or purple.  

But with your help, Common Cause will continue working for fair representation, fair maps, and people-centered democratic processes in every state – and with your help, we will hold anyone who would deny us our voices accountable.

Thanks for all you do,

Virginia Kase Solomón, President & CEO
and the team at Common Cause

P.S. John, as a Common Cause supporter, and someone who makes all of our work possible, I’m eager to hear how you feel about this decision. Please reply to this message with your thoughts or email us directly at [email protected] to let us know.

P.P.S. Join us on Saturday, August 16th at your local Fight The Trump Takeover event – a nationwide mobilization to stand in solidarity with the people of Texas and push back against Trump’s latest power grab.