CCPP Director Erik Nisbet Interviewed by BBC on California Redistricting Vote and Its National Implications
November 5, 2025
CCPP Director and Owen L. Coon Professor of Policy Analysis and Communication Erik C. Nisbet was interviewed by the BBC for their coverage of California voters’ recent approval of a ballot measure allowing mid-decade redistricting. This move has sparked national debate about partisan gerrymandering and democratic backsliding.
In the article, Nisbet warned that the growing willingness of both parties to pursue redistricting outside of the regular census cycle poses long-term risks to U.S. democratic stability.
“Regardless of whether it’s Democrats or Republicans, this is just not good for our republic in the long term,” said Nisbet. “The question now is where does this stop? It’s political sabotage to our democracy.”
He emphasized that such maneuvers threaten to erode public trust in government by diminishing citizens’ sense of fair representation and by eliminating competitive “battleground” districts that once encouraged compromise and bipartisan policymaking.
“Representatives from those districts often are crucial to negotiating deals and finding middle ground—things that have become harder in Congress amid a bitter political divide,” he noted. “It’s hard to not mention the ongoing government shutdown in this. This will worsen polarization and gridlock in Congress. And the ripple effect of that will mean emboldening this president and future presidents to act unilaterally without Congress.”
The interview underscores a key theme of CCPP research: how political polarization and the erosion of democratic norms are reshaping American governance. Nisbet’s remarks reflect CCPP’s ongoing commitment to analyzing how partisan communication, public policy, and public opinion interact to either sustain or undermine democratic resilience.