GOP activists behind redistricting referendum drop campaign plans

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Republican activists went to the trouble of qualifying a measure for the November ballot to overturn new voting districts for the state Senate.

But with the state Supreme Court having upheld the legality of the redistricting plan, those behind Proposition 40 said Thursday they will not campaign to have the districts tossed out. If a majority votes ‘no’ on the referendum, the redistricting plan would be overturned.

In an statement submitted for inclusion in the official ballot pamphlet, Orange County businesswoman Julie Vandermost wrote that the goal of the measure had been to make sure the new Senate maps were not being used for this year’s election.

But the Supreme Court decision resulted in the new Senate maps being used in the June primary and they will apply for the November general election.

‘With the court’s action, we are no longer asking for a no vote,’ wrote Vandermost, chairwoman of Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting, a group that also includes state Sen. Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel).

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-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento