Don’t scapegoat League of Women Voters over Prop. 50. Blame Donald Trump | Opinion
It’s been a fraught couple of months for the League of Women Voters.
First, it condemned Gov. Gavin Newsom’s congressional redistricting plan as an “invitation to chaos, confusion and manipulation.”
Then it turned around and announced that it would not take a position on Proposition 50. (If it passes on Nov. 4, Prop. 50 will allow the state to temporarily reset district boundaries in an attempt to “neutralize” the Texas gerrymander.)
So, what happened between July — when the League’s statewide president denounced the Newsom plan — and now, when the organization announced it was leaving a decision “up to the people”?
While the League is not granting interviews, it did release a statement explaining that its early position against partisan redistricting “was consistent with the League’s long-standing positions at both the state and national level.”
Then came the backlash, which included respectful pushback on social media from longtime supporters — as well as some vicious messaging.
“In recent weeks, the LWVC has received thousands of misogynistic, hate-filled emails,” the League said in its statement.
On top of that, Prop. 50 opponents co-opted the League’s anti-gerrymandering message to bolster their attacks on the governor’s plan.
Controversy over no-on-50 flyer
Protect Voters First lifted a quote from a League op-ed that ran in The Sacramento Bee and displayed it prominently on the front page of a widely circulated “no on 50” mailer.
The quote, taken from a piece written by League of Women Voters California President Gloria Chun Hoo, strongly implied that voters should defeat Newsom’s plan to redistrict.
“California has become a national model for independent redistricting,” Chun Hoo wrote. “Let’s protect the integrity of our democratic process and reject the dangerous idea of mid-cycle redistricting.”
For leaders of the no on 50 campaign, that quote was golden — especially since it came from an organization that, while nonpartisan, appeals more to liberals than conservatives.
It would have been a coup for the well-funded opposition — it’s already received more than $20 million from Republican donor Charles Munger Jr. — if the League had let it slide.
That didn’t happen. The League struck back.
“Be clear, the League does not support this coalition or its message,” it said in a prepared statement sent to members and media outlets.
Even the voice message on its office answering machine shared the information.
Common Cause, a nonprofit watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., issued a similar statement saying that it, too, had been quoted without permission by Protect Voters First. Like the League, it is not taking a position on Prop. 50, though it did say that California meets its “redistricting fairness criteria” while Texas did not.
A close contest
Even though California remains heavily Democratic, this special election is no slam-dunk. In a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey conducted in late August, 48% of respondents said they would vote yes on 50, 32% planned to vote no and 20% were undecided.
That’s a lot of undecideds, and when a respected organization like the League of Women Voters questions whether redistricting is the right way to go, that could affect the outcome.
The League’s disavowal of the mailer ameliorates that — though it’s disappointing that the organization delivered such mixed messaging, and not just in California.
The national League initially condemned what it called “tit-for-tat” redistricting, only to later turn around and issue guidance to governors of states that are considering mid-cycle redistricting.
“While we oppose mid-cycle redistricting, it’s happening now in states across the country,” it wrote. “As Texas approves new maps, the League remains steadfast that any redistricting process must include people’s voices.”
‘Authoritarianism is the enemy’
Many voters have been similarly conflicted by a measure that goes against their core values.
Gerrymandering is the epitome of sleazy politics, and there are a multitude of reasons to reject it.
Californians did so years ago, when they voted in favor of appointing an independent commission to redraw lines. That’s something to be proud of, and we should be cautious about turning authority back to the Legislature — even on a temporary basis.
But let’s not lose sight of what — or rather, who — forced us into this predicament.
He sits in the White House, so desperate to hold on to unlimited power that he’s willing to destroy our system of checks and balances, which is a cornerstone of our democracy.
That is infinitely more damaging than temporarily setting aside a map.
It is the overriding reason to vote yes on Prop. 50, and it likely factored into the League’s decision to remain neutral.
So please, no more attacks on members of the League.
As they point out in a news release, “Authoritarianism is the enemy, not the League of Women Voters of California.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Don’t scapegoat League of Women Voters over Prop. 50. Blame Donald Trump | Opinion."
