Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed deep concern over the growing trend of partisan redistricting across the United States, calling it a troubling shift from democratic principles.
During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Mr. Schwarzenegger lamented that political parties are now focused on trying to cheat their way to victory rather than winning the battle of ideas.
“There’s this war going on all over the United States. Who can out-cheat the other one?” Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said Sunday from Gold’s Gym in Venice, California. “You know, Texas started it. They did something terribly wrong, and then all of a sudden, California says, ’Well, then we have to do something terribly wrong.’”
“Now other states are jumping in, and now this is spreading like wildfire all over the country, and it saddens me to see that we’re going in the opposite direction, rather than having an independent commission draw the district lines,” he said.
Mr. Schwarzenegger, an actor who championed the creation of California’s independent redistricting commission in 2008, has spoken out against recent efforts to redraw congressional maps for partisan advantage — including those unfolding in his own state.
The redistricting battle began after President Trump pressed the Republican-led Texas Legislature to redraw its maps to add as many as five Republican seats, viewing it as key to defending the slim Republican majority in the midterm elections next year.
In response, California Democrats, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, have proposed Proposition 50— also known as the Election Rigging Response Act.
The ballot measure, set for a vote this fall, would temporarily unwind part of the Schwarzenegger legacy by authorizing changes to the state’s congressional maps in hopes of gaining five seats for Democrats.
“This is a revolution that’s going on in real time in our country,” Mr. Newson recently said. “We need to wake up. Prop 50 is foundational if we’re going to save this republic.”
“So I would say to those that are opposed to it, wake up to these spare me the moral high ground,” he said.
Public polls suggest the proposal is poised to pass.
Republicans in North Carolina and Missouri have also adopted new maps.
Virginia could be next. Democrats have called a special session this week where they are expected to jumpstart the legislative process on a referendum question that would go to voters next year.
Mr. Schwarzenegger said he is skeptical of claims that California’s proposed changes would be temporary.
Although the referendum states the new maps would expire after the 2030 elections, he warned that such promises rarely hold.
“They’re going to say, wait a minute, there’s still gerrymandering going on in Texas. There’s still gerrymandering going on in Ohio. There’s still gerrymandering going on in Florida. We have to continue with the gerrymandering,” he said. “This is what’s going to happen. They will find an excuse. So, therefore, I don’t think it is temporary.”
