Well, there were plenty of naysayers who said it couldn’t, even shouldn’t, be done, but it now appears all but certain that the Senate redistricting referendum will qualify for the ballot and the Redistricting Commission’s gerrymandered Senate plan will be on hold for 2012 and hopefully for good. With 13 counties representing almost 30,000 signatures left to count, the random sample is showing us with 490,357 valid signatures, exceeding the 95% threshold that triggers a full count and only 14,403 signature short of the 100% mark. My projection is that we will maintain or exceed our current validity rate in the remaining counties and finish at 511,000 or more.
After the full count is completed the referendum will appear on the November ballot, where voters will have a choice between the Commission’s lines and those adopted by the Court for the 2012 cycle. Given recent revelations, with more rumored to be on the way, about the intentional rigging and hijacking of the entire process, along with the blatant constitutional flaws in their Senate plan, the Commission and its apologists will have a hard time arguing that their lines should stand.
This should be an especially satisfying moment for State Senator Mimi Walters, who never gave up, even in the face of withering opposition. Without her leadership and tireless work we would have been doomed to failure. Also kudos go to California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro, who had the guts to do the right thing, and to CRP Finance Chairman Anne Dunsmore, as well. Consultant Dave Gilliard gets high marks for his role in the process.