CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) — Valley voters are now casting their ballots in California’s special election.
“From what I’ve seen, it can change how things go per party,” Clovis voter Alex said.
Proposition 50 would temporarily redistrict the state, allowing partisan lawmakers to draw the lines instead of an independent commission.
RELATED: CA Election: Everything you need to know about Prop 50
Congressional boundaries would shift everywhere, giving Democrats an upper hand in next year’s midterm elections.
In the Central Valley, which is home to a third of the state’s Republicans in Congress, the City of Clovis would go from one congressional district to three near the corner of Gettysburg and Sunnyside avenues.
The Clovis City Council has voted to formally oppose the change.
“You can’t look at this from just a local perspective,” Lonny Johnson with the Fresno County Democratic Party told Action News.
He believes the state’s hand was forced after President Trump called on Texas lawmakers to add Republican seats there.
“We have to have a seat at the table, and we cannot continue to be marginalized by the Trump administration,” Johnson said. “The only way we can do that is to put a check on the Trump administration, and that’s what Prop 50 is about.”
RELATED: DOJ prepares to send election monitors to California following requests from state GOPs
In Clovis, Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce says Prop 50 would wreak havoc on the city. She authored the council resolution against the ballot measure.
“We’re going to be split into three districts, and that is the quintessential example of diluting the voice of the voters in Clovis,” Pearce said.
With the proposed lines splitting one neighborhood into three districts, Pearce fears residents’ voices could be lost.
“When they have other areas in their district that have a heavier percentage of voters, it just dilutes our voice and our ability to bring our issues forward,” Pearce said.
But Johnson views it differently.
“If you have three of them, that means you’re going to have three congressmen or congresswomen who are going to advocate for you,” he said. “If they want to get re-elected, they’re going to be responsible to our needs.”
