Rep. Kevin Kiley on Mid-Decade Redistricting and Government Shutdown

Government Shutdown and Congressional Inaction

• 🏛️ House staffers have been notified they will miss paychecks due to the ongoing government shutdown.
• 🗣️ Congressman Kiley emphasizes the need for the House of Representatives to be in session to help reopen the government and address critical issues.
• 📉 He highlights the public's exasperation, noting that Congress has a 13% approval rating due to its inability to function.

Opposition to Mid-Decade Redistricting

• 🚫 Kiley is strongly opposed to California's Proposition 50, which would suspend the state's redistricting commission until after the 2030 census, allowing the legislature to redraw lines.
• ⚖️ He argues that mid-decade gerrymandering is wrong and should not occur in any state, advocating for district lines to be redrawn only once every ten years after the census.
• 🧩 Kiley believes Proposition 50 aims to bring back political gerrymandering, citing Princeton University's assessment of California's past redistricting as one of the worst.

The "Race to the Bottom" in Redistricting

• 🔄 Kiley describes the current trend of states altering redistricting processes as a "domino effect" and a "race to the bottom" that degrades democracy.
• 🇺🇸 He points out that states often justify their actions in response to other states, creating a cycle where gerrymandering is labeled as either "good" or "bad" depending on partisan advantage.
• 🗳️ Kiley urges voters to reject such measures to protect fair representation and prevent further erosion of democratic processes.

Kiley's Commitment to His District

• 🗺️ Despite potential changes to his district's map, Congressman Kiley is confident in his ability to win re-election, citing his success in receiving crossover votes from voters of opposing parties.
• 🤝 He believes he has delivered results for his district that transcend party lines and hopes to continue representing the current third district.