Hogan vetoes redistricting bill, calling Maryland Democrats' measure 'phony'

Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday vetoed a bill passed by the General Assembly that he said would block true redistricting reform in Maryland.

The veto shoots down a plan backed by leading Democrats that would have enacted nonpartisan redistricting in the state if five nearby states also agreed to do so. Hogan viewed the legislation as a political move that actually would have prevented reform of the way congressional and legislative districts are drawn.

"We decided we're not going to wait for other states to act," the Republican governor said. He said the legislature was ignoring the "overwhelming majority of the people of Maryland" who support nonpartisan redistricting.

"Instead of choosing fairness and real nonpartisan reform, they pushed through a phony bill masquerading as redistricting reform," Hogan said. "It was nothing more than a political ploy designed with one purpose in mind: To ensure that real redistricting reform would never actually happen in Maryland."

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-redistricting-veto-20170508-story.html