Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) voiced strong opposition on Friday to current Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) proposal to sidestep independent redistricting in the state. Schwarzenegger’s critique came as Democrats are working to gain voter support for Proposition 50, a measure that would bypass a constitutional mandate for an independent redistricting commission. Instead, it would allow the California Legislature to draw electoral district lines, similar to recent Republican-led efforts in Texas.

Schwarzenegger did not hold back during his appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” He labeled Proposition 50 as a “big scam,” arguing that it contradicts the efforts to counter President Trump’s policies, which some claim threaten democracy. “They talk about fighting Trump, calling him a threat to democracy,” he remarked, “yet they are willing to dismantle California’s Constitution, eliminate the independent redistricting commission, and transfer power away from the people to the politicians.”

This debate over redistricting highlights a broader struggle between political parties, as each seeks to secure an advantageous electoral map ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. While Democrats argue their proposal is a necessary response to partisan gerrymandering elsewhere, Schwarzenegger and other critics see it as a power grab that undermines democratic principles.

“But in the meantime, they want to go and tear up the Constitution in California, get rid of the independent commission that draws the district lines and take the power away from the people and give it back to the politicians,” he added. 

Schwarzenegger was governor in 2010 when the state voted to put the Citizens Redistricting Commission in charge of outlining its congressional districts. 

The independent body is tasked with redrawing the districts once every decade in accordance with the Census to account for population shifts. 

Earlier this year in Texas, state lawmakers broke with the tradition to approve redistricting efforts outside the Census period, adding another Republican seat in the House for the Lone Star State.

Schwarzenegger said “politicians in California have performed much better” because of independent redistricting and said changing how lines are drawn will “take away the power” from the people, echoing similar statements he made earlier this year.

“I’m a Republican, but I’m not a Republican hack. I’m not a political hack. I don’t serve the party,” he told Maher. 

“I always serve the people, the people of first, we cannot undo something and rip away the power that the people in California have and give it back to the politicians. We fought there for too long,” he added. 

Newsom has led efforts supporting the passage of Proposition 50, which has also been endorsed by Democrats ranging from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) to former President Obama.

“Californians have been uniquely targeted by the Trump Administration, and thanks to the hard work of the California legislature, they will have a choice to fight back and bring much needed accountability to Trump’s efforts to undermine the democratic process,” he said in a late August statement.