Young Democrats Club hosts Prop 50 panel as special election comes up

Perry Meade speaking at Prop 50 event  Christian Roberts | Lariat

Two congressional candidates running against Young Kim urged Saddleback students to vote yes on Proposition 50 at a panel hosted by the Young Democrats Club in the college center Oct. 20. 

Known as the “Election Rigging Response Act,” Prop 50 would authorize redistricting congressional districts across California if passed on a Nov. 4 special election. 

“Other states held by Republicans right now are trying to move forward with similar efforts,” said Perry Meade, a former Saddleback student government president who hopes to win the 40th district of California in the 2026 midterms. “And so for us to be able to have a proportional or as close proportional as we can, given our political state right now, an election that’s fair in 2026.” 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom created the prop to give Democrats a five-seat advantage in the upcoming midterms in response to Texas’ redistricting map that gave Republicans five more seats. If Prop 50 passes, the state may draw a new district map that will take effect in 2026 to create more districts, giving Democrats an additional five seats in the midterms. If Prop 50 does not pass, California would continue its current district map.

“I think we’re at a point now where the government says we have to fight, fire with fire, because we do have nine states that are looking to redistrict,” said Joe Kerr, a former captain with the Orange County Fire Authority for 34 years, and a congressional candidate for the 40th district of California.“We have to be able to fire back.” 

Meade and Kerr spoke at the event, along with Adam Tallabas, the chair of the Orange Country Young Democrats Club.

“I hope that what Prop 50 will allow us to do is be able to have a better chance of making sure elections are free and fair in 2026,” Meade said. “And what I mean by that is that Texas is trying, they already went forward to draw five new Republican seats to get rid of five Democrats. Other states held by Republicans right now are trying to move forward with similar efforts.”

Meade claimed that Gen Z students like him are unable to buy a home, and when going to college will be trapped in debt. He told students that Prop 50 was the only chance to make a change to all that.

“The chance that we will do so if we have a democracy that allows us to do so, our democracy will not exist if Prop 50 fails,” Meade said.

Kerr is supportive of Prop 50, he said, because CA40 could flip, giving Democrats a chance to fire back.

“I think we’re at a point now where the government says we have to fight, fire with fire, because we do have nine states that are looking to redistrict,” Kerr said. “We have to be able to fire back.”

One seat can make a difference in an election, and Kerr asserted that CA40 currently held by Kim is beatable.

Kerr added that if Prop 50 does pass, it would put the east district of Kim with Ken Calver, who represents CA41 next to Kim, whom he says is the most corrupt official in the U.S. and would have to run against each other.

Tallabas hopes the end result is “fairness,” he said. 

“We don’t live in a perfect world anymore,” he said. “So now it’s time for California to fight back, and I’m very glad that we’re actually doing that.”

The Saddleback Young Democrats Club is meant to encourage political engagement and responsibility among students and to advocate policies to promote social justice, said Owen Engle, the president of the Young Democrats Club. The club was hosted by president Owen Engle and vice president Chris Preusse to inform students about Prop 50 and encourage them to go vote.

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