For the better part of two decades, California’s elections have been freer and fairer because the state doesn’t allow for the gerrymandering of political districts. I like to think I am in large part responsible.

Working alongside former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, I helped rally support for a pair of ballot measures in 2008 and 2010 that transferred the power to draw districts away from politicians and gave it instead to an independent commission of citizens. I contributed millions to supporting the measures; on the second, I was not only the largest donor but also a drafter and the lead organizer.

I am deeply disturbed that my state is considering a return to the days when a single party had unchecked power to draw lines that entrenched its power. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature have placed Proposition 50 on a Nov. 4 special election ballot. If passed, it would replace the current U.S. House districts drawn by the independent commission and used in 2022 and 2024 with districts drawn by party insiders behind closed doors. The new map would be in place for the rest of this decade.

The idea behind the effort is that it will help balance Texas’ effort to gerrymander its congressional districts. Texas’ new map, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, is expected to net Republicans five additional U.S. House seats.

I oppose gerrymandering in any state, regardless of the party responsible for initiating it. Democrats and independents nationally are right to be outraged at the mid-decade partisan gerrymander of Texas, but returning to the evils of partisan gerrymandering in California is not the solution.

The last time California politicians drew the political maps, for the elections of 2002 to 2010, they chose to give every politician a safe seat. As a result, in the 2004 elections not one incumbent lost, and only five of 153 legislative and congressional races were decided by less than nine percentage points. Those maps were a blatant abuse of democracy.