Last-Minute Petition Push for Redistricting Referendum

Over the last few months, Delegate Nicholaus Kipke (R-Pasadena) has gathered thousands of signatures for a petition he formed calling for a referendum on .

Kipke is hoping to get 58,000 signatures by Sunday in order to keep the petition alive. In an effort to meet that goal, Kipke and have scheduled a last-minute effort to obtain signatures at nine libraries in Anne Arundel County on Thursday night. 

Kipke, a Republican who lives in Pasadena, called the governor’s redistricted map “gerrymandering” in a press release sent earlier this month.

A spokesperson at Kipke’s office told Anne Arundel County Councilman Jerry Walker (R-7th District) that the petition effort was about 10,000 signatures short as of Tuesday. While the campaign is gathering close to 1,000 signatures daily, more needs to be done, Walker told Patch on Wednesday.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that the Supreme Court won’t hear complaints against the congressional redistricting map by voters, but Kipke said that doesn’t affect his petition effort.

“The court traditionally does not get involved with cases like this,” Kipke told Patch.

Kipke also said that the deadline for gathering signatures for the petition is Sunday, but that he’s optimistic the goal can be reached.

Nancy Choice, chief of public services and branch management for Anne Arundel County Public Libraries (AACPL), confirmed that Kipke’s office booked one-hour meetings in various conference rooms from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday.

“We’re not sponsoring this or hosting this. The delegate simply asked to book the meeting rooms,” Choice said.

The nine library branches booked from 7 to 8 p.m. this Thursday for Kipke’s last-minute signature push are listed below:

• Edgewater
• Brooklyn Park
• Crofton
• Maryland City
• Mountain Road
• Provinces
• Riviera Beach
• South County
• West County

Pasadena Patch Editor Kaitlyn Carr contributed to this report.

See also: