Maryland legislators approved a ballot measure to allow for new legal language regarding congressional maps during the early August special session.
The measure, which legislators voted for on Aug. 6, follows a flurry of mid-decade redistricting efforts in primarily Southern states to protect the slim Republican majorities in Congress.
“Some states are considering redrawing their maps before the next census. Maryland passed House Bill 2100 to clarify the rules if our state ever considers doing the same,” Del. Denise Roberts (D-District 25) said in an online video statement. “We did not draw a new map, no district lines moved, and nobody woke up in a different congressional district.”
Maryland voters will have the opportunity to vote on this ballot measure during the general election, similar to Virginia’s referendum on redistricting earlier this year.
While Senate President Bill Ferguson IV (D-District 46) supported the ballot measure during the special session, a redistricting bill that passed the House of Delegates last session did not get a hearing in the State Senate.
“I think the fundamental earthquake, the legal earthquake, was the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Calais that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act,” Ferguson said in an Aug. 6 interview with FOX45. “This is giving Marylanders a voice in what is an incredibly important conversation about the future of democracy.”
Republican legislators stood united in opposition of the redistricting ballot question and a lawsuit was filed by the Maryland Freedom Caucus, an unofficial legislative caucus composed of seven conservative legislators, in Anne Arundel Circuit Court to stop the ballot measure.
Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-District 7), a founder of the Freedom Caucus, has previously sued over legislative actions.
“Four years ago, I was the lead plaintiff when Judge Lynne Battaglia struck down the Democrats’ extreme partisan gerrymander,” Szeliga said. “Today, the Maryland Freedom Caucus is once again leading the fight to stop them from changing the rules midstream. The process matters.”
Jason Rodriguez, who contributes to a talk radio station in Baltimore, was also opposed to the special session.
“What people don’t realize is they are poking a sleeping bear. Conservative voters in the outlying areas had a sleepy election, and now they’ll have reason to turn out,” Rodriguez said in a phone interview. “Where is this concern for cost of living and energy issues?”
Despite opposition, Del. N. Scott Phillips (D-District 10), the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, proudly voted to place the redistricting measure on the ballot.
“This amendment does not redraw congressional districts,” he said. “It does not conflict with the United States Constitution, the Voting Rights Act, or any federal protections that govern redistricting. Those safeguards remain fully in place. What this amendment does is clarify what the Maryland Constitution does and does not say.”
Del. Adrian Boafo (D), who came in first during the June primary to replace his mentor and longtime Rep. Steny Hoyer, said the redistricting effort “is long overdue.”
“President Trump has worked tirelessly to gut the protections that generations of Americans have fought and died for,” Boafo continued, “and it is up to us to emphatically say that we will not stand for it.”
