I served in the Navy, and when I raised my hand, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution. That oath wasn’t partisan, and it didn’t expire when I took off the uniform. It still guides me today.
The values I lived by in uniform—honor, courage, commitment—aren’t just for battlefields. They’re for moments like this, when democracy is under attack and sitting on the sidelines is not an option.
This November, Proposition 50 is on the ballot. It doesn’t rewrite the rules forever. It doesn’t dismantle our independent redistricting commission. What it does is ensure that when others rig the system, Californians won’t sit quietly and accept it.
Prop. 50 allows a mid-cycle redraw of California’s congressional maps, but only because others already crossed that line. Texas, Missouri, and others have taken the extraordinary step of tearing up fair maps in the middle of a cycle, at the behest of the White House, with one goal: to cheat their way to power.
That’s not democracy; that’s manipulation.
California didn’t pick this fight. But we will not sit back and let ourselves be silenced by rigged maps drawn in Austin or Jefferson City.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t an isolated scheme. What we’re seeing isn’t limited to redistricting. This administration has made a habit of bending or breaking the rules to hold onto power. Whether it’s undermining the Justice Department, stacking the courts, or rewriting the rules of our immigration system, the through-line is the same: cheat where you can, and dare anyone to stop you.
Some of those fights are out of California’s hands. But when it comes to elections, when it comes to our maps and our representation in Congress, we can do something about it, and Prop. 50 is how we do it.
Here’s the key: this isn’t permanent. It’s a mid-cycle correction, nothing more. Once the next regular redistricting process begins, the independent commission takes back the reins.
Prop. 50 is a shield, not a weapon. It says California will meet fire with fire, just long enough to stop one-sided manipulation from deciding the balance of power in Washington.
We’ve already seen attempts to overturn the will of the people. In 2020, the effort to undermine our democracy didn’t happen in whispers behind closed doors; it happened in full public view—and people died. And those same tactics are being repeated today. Pretending otherwise is an invitation for history to repeat itself.
When legislatures toss aside fair maps, they’re not just shifting lines on paper. They’re silencing entire communities. They’re deciding in advance who wins and who loses. That’s not politics-as-usual—it’s cheating. And it breaks faith with the very idea of elections.
These aren’t just lines on a map. They decide whether a farmworker in the Central Valley has a representative who listens to her, or whether a military family in San Diego gets a voice in Washington. Gerrymandering doesn’t just redraw boundaries; it redraws lives.
Californians understand that when our voices are erased, our futures are too.
Every person who has ever raised their right hand and taken the oath to serve in the military, to uphold the law, or to take public office, swore allegiance not to a party, not to a politician, but to the Constitution.
That oath is a reminder that loyalty belongs to the people and to the rule of law.
When state legislatures contort themselves to please a single leader, they violate that sacred trust. They reduce themselves to servitude, ignoring the people they swore to represent. Californians should not, and will not, tolerate that kind of cowardice.
Prop. 50 reflects the Navy values I lived by. Honor demands we call out injustice when we see it. Courage demands we take action even when it’s uncomfortable. Commitment demands we hold the line until fairness is restored.
Critics will sneer that this is gerrymandering by another name. They’re wrong.
Gerrymandering is about permanently locking in unfair advantage. Prop. 50 is temporary, reluctant, and necessary. It is a corrective measure until the referees, the independent commissioners, are allowed to do their jobs again.
It’s breathtaking hypocrisy when Republican-led legislatures rip up maps mid-cycle to entrench minority rule and call it “strategy.” Yet when California acts to defend itself, suddenly they call it “unfair.”
That double standard isn’t just insulting—it’s un-American.
Until every state plays fair, California has a duty to recognize reality and respond.
Fairness isn’t partisan; it’s patriotic.
Veterans like me fought for democracy abroad because we believed it was worth defending. Now the fight is here at home.
California has always set the pace for America—on civil rights, on clean air, on consumer protections. Now it’s time to lead again by making clear that election-rigging has no home here.
This isn’t about punishing politicians. It’s about protecting people. It’s about living up to our values of honor, courage, and commitment. And it’s about showing the country that democracy still belongs to the people.
The choice before us is clear: either California accepts a tilted playing field written in someone else’s statehouse, or we stand up and fight for a democracy that works for everyone.
We’ve never been a state that backs down from a fight—not on civil rights, not on clean air, not on consumer protections. And we shouldn’t start now.
On Nov. 4, Californians can send a message far beyond our borders: we will defend fair play, accountability, and democracy.
Because without fair play, democracy fails.
Without accountability, power corrupts.
Prop. 50 isn’t about rewriting the rules forever. It’s about refusing to let un-American power grabs in Texas, Missouri, or anywhere else dictate our future.
This is a one-time, mid-cycle stand forced upon us by cheaters.
Californians don’t bow to cheaters. We fight back, and we fight fair.
*Shawn VanDiver* is a businessman, civic leader, and Navy veteran who lives in San Diego.
https://timesofsandiego.com/opinion/2025/10/25/prop-50-is-california-fight-against-other-states-power-grabs/
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