On Friday night's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, Schwarzenegger said he had a three-pronged approach to saving democracy, which includes making Election Day a national holiday, having independent redistricting commissions in each state, and introducing voter ID laws.
Schwarzenegger's plan combines proposals typically favored by both parties -- for example making Election Day a national holiday, which Democrats generally support, and implementing voter ID laws, which Republicans back.
His comments come as debates over voting access and election integrity continue to divide lawmakers across the country.
The Terminator star said his proposal would combine ideas supported by both parties. "What I suggest is to have a proposal like the Save Democracy Act, where we go and make Election Day a holiday so that everyone has time to go out and go to the election," the 78-year-old said.
Maher noted that Democrats already back the idea of making that day a national holiday, but Schwarzenegger said his plan would go further. "The second point is you have to have fair redistricting. You have to have an independent redistricting commission in each state all over the United States," he continued.
A cornerstone of Schwarzenegger's governorship was the creation of California's Citizens Redistricting Commission, which took redistricting powers out of lawmakers' hands. The actor-turned-politician defended that legacy while criticizing Newsom's support for Proposition 50, a measure designed to combat Republican gerrymandering in states like Texas and Missouri.
"I think that Prop 50 is a big scam," Schwarzenegger told Maher. "It says that we should fight Trump because he's a threat to democracy. 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. How does this help democracy, imitating what Texas is doing? It doesn't make any sense."
He argued that both parties manipulate maps for political gain, pointing to "states out there that have 40 percent Republicans and only have like 20 percent of representation in Congress."
Rounding out his plan, Schwarzenegger added, "You have a voter ID, so then when you go and vote, people should know that you are that person." He said the goal was to create a proposal with "something that the Republicans like, and there's something that the Democrats like" so both sides could "get together and solve this problem."
Schwarzenegger's remarks came as Vice President JD Vance made a similar point on X, writing, "New England's six states vote about 40 percent Republican, and have literally zero Republican representatives in Congress."
Donald Trump has taken a far more aggressive stance on Proposition 50 than Schwarzenegger, framing it as a partisan power grab by Democrats rather than a reform measure. The president has threatened to sue California over the proposal, saying, "I think I'm going to be filing a lawsuit pretty soon, and I think we're going to be very successful in it. We're going to be filing it through the Department of Justice."
It is not the first time Schwarzenegger has criticized Proposition 50. In August, he said he didn't buy the argument that California should take part in redistricting because other states are. "We are not going to go into a stinking contest with a skunk," he said. "We are moving forward."
"I hate the idea of the Republicans redrawing the district lines in Texas, as much as I hate what the Californians are trying to do," Schwarzenegger said. "But I'm thinking now about California, and about the people of California."
California Governor Gavin Newsom has framed his redistricting push as a response to Republican efforts in Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott, backed by Trump, convened a special legislative session to pass new GOP-friendly maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.
"Look, what we're doing neutralizes what's happening in Texas. People have this chance with this ballot -- November 4 -- is stand up to the rule of law, stand up for coequal branches of government, stand up to, yes, Donald Trump, but also stand up in the spirit that defines this moment to people being bullied and people being intimidated," Newsom said in August.
The Election Rigging Response Act would bypass California's independent redistricting commission and implement Democratic-drawn maps until 2030, potentially flipping up to five Republican seats. The proposal passed both chambers of the legislature in August and will go before voters in a special election on November 4.
During his interview with Maher, Schwarzenegger also criticized his party. "I'm a traditional Republican... like Lincoln who ended slavery...The party has changed. That doesn't mean we have to change. We have to fight to get the party back," he said.
California voters will decide on November 4 whether to approve maps that would apply in 2026, 2028 and 2030 -- contingent on Republican-led states redrawing their lines first. Since 2010, California's maps have been drawn by an independent citizen commission.