Fox News anchor Sandra Smith appeared visibly baffled by the results of new polling in California following the passage of Proposition 50, a measure allowing the state legislature to bypass an independent commission and redraw congressional districts—potentially benefiting Democrats. During a Friday segment, Smith cited a Fox News poll showing that 82 percent of “yes” voters supported the measure to counter Republican-led redistricting in other states. Meanwhile, 64 percent of “no” voters said they opposed it because they believed it wasn’t the best method to ensure fair district lines.

What seemed to surprise Smith most was a subsequent finding: nine in ten respondents—across party lines—said they preferred district maps to be drawn by a nonpartisan commission rather than by elected officials. “The irony of this,” Smith said, “is that nine-out-of-ten voters said they’d like to see this done by a non-partisan commission… Well, that was preempted with the outcome of this vote.” The polling results highlighted a contradiction between voters’ stated preference for fairness and their willingness to support a measure that strengthens partisan control over redistricting.

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who campaigned against Prop 50, harshly criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s claim that the redistricting change would be temporary. Calling that idea “total fantasy,” Schwarzenegger told CNN’s Jake Tapper that “temporary” government programs often become permanent. He warned that Democrats would find excuses to continue partisan redistricting, justifying it by pointing to Republican gerrymandering in other states. Newsom defended the measure as a response to GOP efforts in states like Texas and Florida but dismissed critics as “pretending to hold the moral high ground.” Schwarzenegger countered that Democrats were “cheating” by manipulating district lines instead of focusing on outperforming Republicans electorally. The former governor argued that both parties’ gerrymandering battles ultimately cheat ordinary Americans and undermine democracy. “If you really want to fight for democracy,” he said, “why would you destroy the Constitution in California?”