The Libertarian Party of California is organizing multiple rallies this month in opposition to Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would temporarily transfer congressional redistricting power from an independent commission to the state legislature.
The state Libertarian Party first published a statement sometime in September, urging voters to similarly reject the proposal. Proposition 50, also called the “Election Rigging Response Act,” would replace California’s current congressional maps with new ones drawn by the legislature. These maps would remain in effect through the 2030 election cycle, after which the Citizens Redistricting Commission would resume control following the next census.
That commission was established by California voters in 2008 through Proposition 11 and expanded in 2010 by Proposition 20 to include congressional districts. It drew the congressional map currently in use.
“Prop 50 would undo a key reform that entrusted congressional map-drawing to California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission,” the statement reads. “Instead, it would adopt a new map written into law by politicians—tilting the process toward the party in power.”
The party added that Libertarians oppose gerrymandering “in all forms,” arguing that “empowering voters” does more for fair elections tan allowing legislators to “choose” them. It praised the Citizens Redistricting Commission as a safeguard for transparency in congressional mapmaking and warned that Proposition 50 risked “moving backward.”
The party has also published a section on its website detailing its organizing efforts in opposition. As of Tuesday, it had scheduled four rallies across California in October, with events planned in Butte, Fresno, Riverside and San Diego counties.
The Libertarian Party of Butte County will host a rally in Oroville on Friday, October 10, followed by the Libertarian Party of Fresno County holding another in Mendota on Saturday, October 11. According to the Fresno County affiliate, its rally will also feature guest speakers with insight on the proposition to be announced.
The Riverside County Libertarian Party is organizing a third rally on Wednesday, October 15, in Riverside. The final event, initially advertised for San Diego County, is being coordinated by the state party and will take place on Sunday, October 19. Members will gather at 4:00 PM PT at Mask Park in Santee.
Editorial note: This article has been updated to reflect confirmed details about the San Diego event.
This article has been updated to reflect confirmed details about the San Diego event. It will take place on Sunday, October 19, with members gathering at Mask Park in Santee.
Yet, Prop 50 has the potential to create opportunities for 3rd parties. In their zeal to create districts favorable to the majority party in the legislature, the legislators often overreach and unintentionally create districts that turn out to be more competitive than they intended. This is because they often risk spreading their partisan supporters too thin to capture as many districts as possible. An example o this happened earlier this decade in New York, when the Democrats spread themselves too thin over several districts, and actually lost a few that they had hoped to win.
The LPCA has always opposed these sham redistricting commissions for one simple reason: they never were truly independent. They were always composed of duopoly insiders and their “independent” cronies.” (I wrote the ballot analyses adopted by the LPCA in opposition in 2008 and 2010.) Nothing has changed; the Democrats in Sacramento still want absolute power and the Republicans go along like the timid sheep they are, and along the way, everyone gets screwed.
Kudos to LPCA for keeping up this fight against this nonsense.
I posted a commentary in opposition to Proposition 50 @ The California Libertarian Report
https://calibertarianreport.com/2025/09/23/vote-no-on-democrat-gerrymander-in-california/
In the 1990s i was Chair of the Riverside County Libertarian Party, and we supported the initiative’
that created the Citizen’s Redistricting Commission. We also supported two earlier attempts to take redistricting
from the party bosses in the legislature.
The Unity Party of California has also officially endorsed a No vote. We are working on some Facebook outreach right now.