Question 3Constitutional amendment · Put on the ballot by lawmakers
Congressional Districting Rules
Explain it like I'm 5
Maryland's constitution has rules for drawing state voting districts, such as keeping them connected and respecting boundaries. This would say those state rules do not apply to districts for the U.S. House, giving lawmakers more freedom when drawing congressional maps.
Yes vote
The constitutional districting requirements apply only to state legislative districts and not to congressional districts.
No vote
The current constitutional language remains in place, allowing those requirements to continue being applied to congressional maps.
The question to ask yourself
Should Maryland keep extra state limits on congressional maps, or give lawmakers more flexibility under federal rules?
The case for
- Clarifies that state legislative and congressional maps follow different legal frameworks.
- Could give Maryland more flexibility to respond to congressional map changes elsewhere.
- Leaves federal equal-population and voting-rights requirements in place.
Backed by: Fight Back MD, Democratic Party of Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, SEIU Local 500, AFSCME Maryland Council 3, National Democratic Redistricting Committee
The case against
- Removes state constitutional safeguards from congressional map drawing.
- Could make partisan gerrymandering easier.
- May weaken court challenges based on compactness, boundaries, or related state standards.
Opposed by: Republican Party of Maryland, Truth for Maryland, Save Our Voice, Protect Maryland Votes, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Former Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland Family Institute
- Money
- No direct tax effect or cost estimate is stated; future map-making and litigation costs are not estimated.
- Don't be misled
- The amendment would not redraw districts by itself; a separate map would still be needed.