On Prop 50

Dear editor and community folk,

Imagine, if you will, two teams of golfers competing against one another over a four-day tournament. Team members can be identified by the color of their shirts: one team wears red; the other team blue. After the seventh hole on the first day of competition, with the score a virtual tie to that point, the red team captain calls for a halt in play, and goes to talk with the tournament and course officials. After a while, they all return together. The tournament chairperson calls all the golfers together, and says, “There has been a change in the rules, for the remainder of this tournament, and for any future tournaments in which these two teams compete against one another. Beginning now, on every even-numbered hole, every member of the red team will deduct one stroke from their score.”

Well, this creates some consternation among the blue team. “You can’t do that. You can’t just change the rules in the middle of the game. And, why would you?”

The red team captain steps forth, and says, “Because I — we — deserve to win”.

The blue team continues to protest, but are told by the tournament chairperson that it’s a settled matter, and there is nothing they can do about it. So, the blue team huddles together to discuss the matter. Soon, they come back to the waiting group, and announce, “Okay, it’s obvious that this new rule is here to stay. So, we are proposing that, on every odd-numbered hole, each member of the blue team will deduct one stroke from their score.”

The pushback is immediate. The red team, tournament officials, and fans of the red team begin to yell and shout: “You can’t do that. You can’t just change the rules in the middle of the game. You have to abide by the rules as written — that’s the only fair thing.”

And thus, my friends, we have Proposition 50 in the state of California. The red team, under orders from the dictator in the Oval Office, has gone about changing Congressional House districts in Texas (already accomplished over the protest of the state’s citizens), and is moving forward in several other states. And, they have not been subtle about the rationale behind this mid-decade redistricting. They are very clear that it is being done because they don’t think they can win the House in 2026 without cheating, and their cult leader has stated that he “deserves” to win.

While the courts may eventually overturn these redistricting efforts, that is no guarantee in today’s judicial world — especially with a partisan Supreme Court that has already declared themselves subservient to the “president”. So, what are the options. Well, the red team and their supporters would have us just sit back and let this steal go forward, under the self-righteous banner of “Defend Fair Elections” — meaning, one team gets to change the rules to their advantage, while the rest of us have to let it happen. Or, there could be some attempt to re-level the playing field.

Now, California had already done that leveling thing. In 2008, we, the voters of California, authorized the creation of the Citizens Redistricting Commission, to guarantee a non-partisan approach to the every-decade redistricting based on the U.S. census. And, it appears that we, the people of California, have been very satisfied with the work of that commission. But, now, we are being asked to set it aside, for the next three elections, in order to re-level the contest that the red team is trying to steal. And, unlike what is happening in Republican states, where legislatures are plowing ahead, often against the wishes of their constituents, and engaging in a mid-decade redistricting with an open-ended future, what Proposition 50 is doing is asking California voters to make the decision whether we (the citizens of California) should answer back with our own mid-decade redistricting (which is predicated on moving forward, only if Republican states persist in their own redistricting). And, unlike what is happening in Republican states, California’s mid-decade redistricting would not be open-ended. Following the 2030 U.S. census, we would return the task of redistricting to the non-partisan Citizens Redistricting Commission, with the 2032 elections based on the work of that commission.

Let me offer another sports analogy. Let us imagine that the Loyalton High School basketball team is playing in the finals for the state championship of their division. After one quarter, the opposing team convinces the game officials to enact a rules change: for the remainder of the game, every basket made by that team — no matter where on the court it was shot — will be awarded three points, while the Loyalton team can only record three points for shots from beyond the arc. Now, the Loyalton team can just say, “Oh well, it is what it is, we can’t do anything about it”. Or, they could demand an equal rule change in their favor.

Opponents of Prop 50 would say, “Well, that’s too bad, Loyalton, but you have to abide by the rules. You can’t insist on a change in the rules, when you’ve had perfectly good rules to play by so far.” Those of us in favor of Prop 50, on the other hand, would say, “We will not stand by and see a contest stolen — whether it’s a basketball game or an election.”

I urge those among us who believe in true fairness — in fair play — and in a democratic future for our country — to vote YES on Proposition 50.

Paul Guffin

Downieville