The Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana congressional map that a select group of voters had pushed to change as a result of “unconstitutional racial gerrymandering” Wednesday. The ruling found that race played too heavy of a role in Louisiana’s current congressional district map, according to Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s official website.
“The best way to end race-based discrimination is to stop making decisions based on race,” he said.
This decision was the latest update as part of a bigger national discussion on redistricting, gerrymandering and, in California, Proposition 50. But at USC, some students say the issue feels distant.
Lara Sadi, a sophomore studying biology and gerontology at USC, said “I have never heard of Proposition 50 until now. Honestly, since moving to Los Angeles for college I feel like I don’t know much about the redistricting going on around Los Angeles or even near campus.”
Redistricting, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, is the process where the boundaries of electoral districts are dictated in each state, for Congress and state legislatures.
Redistricting usually occurs every decade, following a United States census.
“As a biology student I feel like in my daily life I am pretty far from news or policies in the general L.A. region. As an international student, when I do read articles or listen to news podcasts I generally tend to prefer ones that focus on global news or politics,” said Sadi.
April Mao, a sophomore studying communications at Annenberg with a minor in entertainment industry, said, “I am an international student, so I do not have any political influence in this country or on this campus. I’m just not a political person, so I don’t really stay up to date to this kind of news.”
While some students have vaguely heard of Proposition 50 in their conversations with peers, some of their information comes from digital sources.
“I do know what Proposition 50 is because I think I’ve seen a lot of YouTube advertisements while watching random videos. I do know that word, but I don’t know what’s behind it, to be very honest,” said Mao.