California voters go to the polls on Tuesday, November 4 to vote on Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would temporarily override the state’s independent redistricting commission and redraw congressional district maps in response to partisan gerrymandering efforts in Texas, Missouri, and other states.

Richard Hasen, Gary T. Schwartz Endowed Chair in Law and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project, is available to provide legal and historical context on Proposition 50 and its broader implications for election law, voting rights, and representation.

“Supporters say that the fairness of congressional districting should be judged on a national basis, and if Republicans are engaging in partisan gerrymandering in states they control, Democrats need to fight back. Opponents argue that two wrongs don’t make a right and that there is not a strong enough reason to set aside the maps drawn by a commission that voters charged with taking politics out of the process.”

--Professor Rick Hasen

Professor Hasen notes that Proposition 50 “is very unusual” in both design and impact. He can discuss:

• Legal questions surrounding Proposition 50 and potential federal challenges
• The evolution of redistricting and independent commissions
• How partisan gerrymandering influences control of Congress
• The balance between state autonomy and national standards for fair elections

He offers in-depth analysis in a new interview on the measure and is leading a UCLA Law Safeguarding Democracy Project series on redistricting, voting rights, and democratic resilience ahead of the 2026 election.

You may contact Professor Hasen directly at hasen@law.ucla.edu.

Additional UCLA Law Experts

UCLA School of Law faculty are available to comment on a wide range of international and domestic legal issues shaping the current political landscape, including international law and the law of armed conflict, presidential and executive power, foreign relations law, election regulation, constitutional law, and federal–state relations.

Media Contacts: media@law.ucla.edu

Carl Marziali carl@lindavistapr.com 

Geoffrey Baum geoff@lindavistapr.com