Let's do the easy propositions first.
When Prop 11 passed a few years ago, moving legislative districting in California out of the hands of the legislators and into a cumbersome but probably neutral bureaucratic process, a deal was made whereby the legislators stripped reapportionment of Congressional districts out of it. Because God forbid that Congressmembers are chosen by the voters, as opposed to choosing the voters.
Prop 20, sponsored by Charles Munger, undoes that deal, and adds Congressional districts in California to the districts that will be apportioned by the Citizen's Commission.
It's an obvious "YES".
On the other hand, a bunch of Democratic politicians and their minions got together and added Prop 27 to the ballot, which undoes Prop 11 and places redistricting back in the hands of legislators.
Which is a horrible idea. So please vote "NO" on 27.
I don't think fixing gerrymandering will fix all, or even many, of our political problems here in California. But it's a good start.
Remember, people shouldn't fear their government - government should fear the people.
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Proposition 27 is, in particular, a terrible idea because it seeks to require that all districts have a population size variance of at most one person.
This is a practical impossibility. In a best case, it would lead to district lines splitting apartment buildings or, in some cases, households with one registered voter in one district and another in a different district.
In practice, it almost certainly will lead to courts working out the district boundaries because anything the legislature actually produces will violate the 1-person variance rule.
Agreed.
Anybody know what prompted the addition of the social and economic affinity language in prop 20?