After President Donald Trump affirmed that the Republican Party is entitled to five more seats in the House of Representatives, Governor Gavin Newsom responded accordingly by acclaiming that he will retaliate by removing five republican seats and replacing them with California Democrats, with the approval of the people of California.
Gerrymandering, or manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency to favor one party or class, is not something new. In 2022, the city of Jacksonville was split into two separate districts, both representing the Republican Party. What is new is a president saying he is entitled to five more seats in congress, and a state swiftly responding with plans to gerrymander.
Since this request was made by President Trump, five Texas Democrats have broken quorum by traveling to Illinois in an act of protest. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has since been supporting these lawmakers by providing housing for them, considering that they are fined $500 for each day they break quorum, as per the rules of the Texas House.
Many of GBHS’ new seniors will be able to vote for governor in the next gubernatorial election of 2026, giving them an opportunity to fight for the change they want to see.
“I think voting is important because in a democracy, if you don’t vote, then you’re no longer a part of the democracy,” Rebecca Gehlmann, a senior at GBHS said. “I honestly don’t believe (voting) makes as much of a difference as it could, especially if we see it getting changed through gerrymandering.”
Redistricting changes the way areas are represented, which may have a significant impact on voter turnout. Voters may feel misrepresented by the way these congressional maps are drawn. California uses an independent redistricting commission, meaning that the governor has no direct executive power to redraw these maps. The governor can solely sway the vote by campaigning and influencing the voters.
“I like that plan, but it needs to be exported nationally, and it can’t just be in California. Other places don’t do that,” Gehlmann said.
Governor Newsom of California has elucidated that if this effort succeeds, he will nullify it by replacing five California Republican seats with Democratic seats. However, Newsom is asking California voters to aid him with the decision through a special election on November 5th.
“I think it’s a last resort response. I don’t approve of it, but I think that it is something that kind of sort of has to be done if Texas does redistrict,” Gehlmann said.
The special election will be held for the citizens of California to vote on “The Election Rigging Response Act,” a constitutional amendment that would maintain California’s independent redistricting commission, allow for a temporary legislative override of redistricting, and establish a new congressional map.
“I think Newsom’s response is appropriate because he’s just trying to keep a balance in the House,” Noor Sidhu, a senior at GBHS, said. “I think that because we’re in a democracy, it’s our right to vote for everything, because we basically choose who gets to vote for us.”
Voting is one way citizens can make a difference in government decisions, and it’s something that people can only do once they turn eighteen. However, sources show that there was a slight decrease in voter turnout from the youth in the last presidential election, with one study showing that voter turnout decreased from approximately 52% to 44% in just four years.
“A lot of people don’t think that their vote matters, especially in the presidential elections with the Electoral College,” Sidhu said.
Gerrymandering can impact the fairness of elections by influencing how voters are represented, leaving events such as gubernatorial elections as some of the only chances for voters to show up for what they believe in.
“I’m pretty set on the vote, but I think that gerrymandering is going to make the decision unanimous either way,” Sidhu said.
California is a widely democratic state, with a majority of counties belonging to the Democratic Party. GBHS and a lot of the surrounding cities sit in Placer County, one of the few Republican counties in California.
“I think everyone should vote. It’s something that you have the opportunity to do, and some people don’t,” Pavan Lallian, a senior at GBHS, said. “I think you should vote, even if California is super democratic and you have Republican views.”
As more and more of the younger generation reach the voting age, embracing this mindset can help increase voter turnout – both locally and nationally. Nonetheless, many GBHS students don’t participate in elections because they haven’t done the proper research on who they would vote for.
“Sometimes there’s too much misinformation from both sides that makes people not want to really look into (voting),” Lallian said.
A study conducted by Newsguard identified over 40 political Facebook accounts that were confirmed to spread misinformation about the election of 2020. Combined, these accounts accumulated over 22 million followers, portraying the mass spread of misinformation in today’s society.
Pushes for gerrymandering and revamping definitely have big chances of changing the future of our country. However, the future of representation won’t be decided by politicians or lobbyists, it will be determined by the next generation when stepping into the voting booth.
