Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a redistricting measure passed last year could be the subject of an override vote Friday in the state Senate. The legislation would set up a commission to redraw congressional district lines after the federal census is conducted — but only if New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia also adopt similar legislation. Hogan, who has made redistricting reform a priority of his administration, called the measure “a phony bill masquerading as redistricting reform” when he vetoed it last year. “It was nothing more than a political ploy designed with one purpose — to ensure that real redistricting reform would never actually happen in Maryland,” he said.
The governor noted that the bill not only relied on agreements from five other states to become effective, but even if it did, the commission would be “selected by legislative leaders instead of removing politicians from the process, as the administration’s proposed legislation would do,” he said.
Hogan proposed reform bills last year and the year before that would establish an independent commission to redraw district lines after each 10-year census. Neither got out of committee.
Full Article: Senate to consider overriding redistricting pact veto | Annapolis | heraldmailmedia.com.