ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — On Monday, Maryland Democrats commenced a special session focused on redistricting, as the national effort to redraw House districts continues beyond the November midterm elections.
The Democrats are preparing to eventually reshape the state’s districts to potentially exclude Rep. Andy Harris, the sole Republican member of Congress from Maryland. However, any new district map wouldn’t take effect until 2028.
This week, the state Legislature is convening to vote on a constitutional amendment that some Democratic leaders believe could protect future redistricting efforts from legal challenges. This move follows a 2022 Maryland state court decision that blocked a proposed 8-0 Democratic district map, asserting that it violated the state Constitution.
Although Democrats statewide, including Governor Wes Moore, urged the Legislature to implement redistricting before this year’s midterms, Senate President Bill Ferguson, also a Democrat, has maintained that redrawing the map before passing an amendment would not withstand legal scrutiny and could have “catastrophic” consequences.
“We’ve known from the beginning what is at stake, and most importantly, we have known that in this moment of American history, it is insufficient to act with haste when the consequences of missteps are so impactful,” Ferguson stated during a Monday press conference. “What those consequences could have looked like: a map rejected by Maryland’s Supreme Court. A map drawn by the court that sends us backwards when we could least afford it.”
The new language in the amendment seeks to clarify that requirements concerning compactness and respect for natural and political boundaries apply solely to legislative districts, not congressional ones, potentially allowing for gerrymandering.
If the lawmakers pass the amendment, Maryland voters will still need to approve it in November.
During his own press conference on Monday, Moore expressed disagreement with Ferguson’s view that immediate redistricting before the November midterms would have been legally problematic. However, Moore emphasized his positive relationship with the Senate president.
“I’m very happy that we are moving right now,” Moore said. “It’s never too early to fight for justice. It’s never too late to fight for justice. We are going to fight for justice, we are going to take the power and give it to the people. And then let the people decide where we go.”
Republicans have gained a significant advantage in the ongoing interparty redistricting battle for this year’s election, particularly after redrawing maps in several Southern states following the Supreme Court’s decision to limit the Voting Rights Act in April.
“A legal earthquake changed the landscape this spring,” Ferguson remarked. “Even worse, we saw states like Tennessee, Louisiana, and South Carolina act with haste to attempt to eliminate majority-minority congressional districts. These acts changed the calculus, and that’s why we’re here.”
(Tennessee and Louisiana altered their district lines for 2026, but South Carolina ultimately did not.)
The amendment, Ferguson added, “ensures that Maryland has the ability to respond if the Trump administration or any future federal administration seeks to further erode the basic standards of democracy.”
