California Proposition 40, Referendum on the State Senate Redistricting Plan (2012)
- See also: Redistricting in California
- See also: Redistricting in California
| State Senate Redistricting Referendum | |
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| Quick stats | |
| Type: | Veto referendum |
| Topic: | Redistricting |
| Status: | On the ballot |
Contents |
Its supporters turned in 710,924 signatures to qualify it for the ballot in early November 2011.[2]
11-0028 is an attempt to use California's veto referendum process to nullify the California State Senate redistricting plan approved by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission..
A separate referendum, the Referendum on California's U.S. Congressional District Boundaries Plan, was also filed but its supporters did not proceed to the point of submitting signatures to qualify it for the ballot.
In January 2012, the California Supreme Court ruled that the State Senate redistricting maps generated by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission pursuant to 2008's Proposition 11 must be used throughout the elections of 2012, even if it ultimately turns out that #11-0028 qualifies for the ballot.[3]
Ballot language
Ballot title
Official summary
- "State Senate districts are revised every ten years following the federal census. This year, the voter-approved California Citizens Redistricting Commission revised the boundaries of the 40 Senate districts. This referendum petition, if signed by the required number of registered voters and filed with the Secretary of State, will: (1) Place the revised State Senate boundaries on the ballot and prevent them from taking effect unless approved by the voters at the next statewide election; and (2) Require court-appointed officials to set interim boundaries for use in the next statewide election."
Support
Charles H. Bell, Jr. filed the official request for a ballot title on behalf of Julie Vandermost.
The official campaign committee is called "Fair Districts 2012". According to their website, "We are a citizens group aimed at holding the Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) accountable for creating fair districts in California. The committee is made up of individuals, businesses, elected officials, and community leaders who are concerned that a well-intentioned process of drawing legislative districts has put Californians in danger of being misrepresented regardless of race, culture or political party."[4]
Polls
- See also: Polls, 2012 ballot measures
A September 2011 poll conducted by Field Poll indicated that most voters would not vote to overturn the California State Senate maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. (Note: A "yes" vote on this referendum is a vote to maintain intact the work of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.) 34% of those surveyed said that they were aware of the commission's redistricting work.[5],[6]
| Date of Poll | Pollster | In favor | Opposed | Undecided | Number polled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1-12, 2011 | Field Poll | 42% | 29% | 29% | 1,001 |
| October 7-10, 2012 | California Business Roundtable | 44.2% | 26.1% | 29.7% | 830 |
| October 21-28, 2012 | California Business Roundtable | 48.2% | 24.8% | 27.0% | 2,115 |
History of redistricting votes
The 2012 vote is not the first time that California voters have been asked to vote on a redistricting plan using their power of veto referendum.
In 1928 and 1982, voters weighed in on these measures:
- 1928: Proposition 1, Reapportionment of Legislative Districts
- 1982: Proposition 10, Congressional Redistricting Act
- 1982: Proposition 11, State Senate Redistricting Act
- 1982: Proposition 12, State Assembly Redistricting Act
Path to the ballot
- See also: California signature requirements
Sponsors of 11-0027 needed to collect 504,760 signatures by November 13, 2011 to qualify the measure for the ballot. Its supporters turned in 710,924 signatures in 57 of California's 58 counties by the deadline. On February 24, 2012, the California Secretary of State's office announced that the measure had qualified for the ballot.
State senator Mimi Walters said, "Hundreds of people worked tirelessly for almost three months to collect these signatures, overcoming great odds and many skeptics."[2] GOP consultant Dave Gilliard said, "Gathering this many signatures in so little time, for a referendum on an issue like redistricting, which lacks public awareness, is an extraordinary accomplishment."[7]
A statement from the California Secretary of State's office indicated that it was likely to take until March 17, 2012 for the signatures to be verified. This date was 78 days after California's redistricting law says that candidates must know the shape of the state senate district they might run in. March 17, 2012 is also 80 days before the June 2012 primary.[2]
The letter requesting a title and summary for the proposed referendum was signed by Charles H. Bell, Jr. and was received by the Attorney General of California's office on August 16, 2011. The summary was provided on August 26, 2011 and a circulation deadline of November 13, 2011 was given to the referendum.
External links
References
- ↑ Malibu Patch, "GOP Group Can Start Collecting Signatures", August 28, 2011
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 KQED-Capital Notes, "710,924 Signatures for Overturning Senate Map. And Yet...", November 14, 2011
- ↑ BizJournals, "Top California court rejects GOP redistricting challenge", January 27, 2012
- ↑ Fair Districts 2012, "Who We Are"
- ↑ Field Poll, "Just one in three voters are aware of state commission's redrawing of district lines", September 22, 2011
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "California's voters inclined to support new political maps", September 22, 2011
- ↑ Prop Zero, "GOP Attacks Senate Maps", November 15, 2011
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