Barack Obama urges Maryland citizens to vote yes on Question 3 to stop "Republican power grab"

Former President Barack Obama appears in a new political ad in which he directly urges Maryland citizens to vote yes on ballot Question 3.

Question 3 essentially paves the way for Maryland lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional maps. 

A yes vote on Question 3 would eliminate the state constitution's requirement that says congressional districts must be compact and connected. A no vote would keep the existing constraints in place.     

The measure has been backed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who has said the law is necessary to fight back against the Trump administration's efforts to redraw other congressional districts across the country in favor of Republicans. 

The change could end up eliminating the only Republican congressional seat on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Opponents of the redistricting measure argued that removing the constraints could lead to a dominant party in Maryland's General Assembly creating unfairly-drawn congressional maps to gain political advantage. Critics also argued that such a practice could discriminate against non-majority voters in areas across the state.

Obama: "I'm counting on you to vote yes"

In the video ad, Obama is dressed casually and appears to be sitting inside a home setting. He speaks directly to voters. 

"In this election, I'm counting on you to vote yes on Question 3. And here's why," he says in the ad. "You may have heard that Republicans in Washington got some states to redraw their congressional maps in the middle of an election year. They did it to try and hold onto power in Congress. You can help stop this Republican power grab by voting yes on Question 3. It lets Maryland draw its own fair maps."

Gov. Moore's re-election campaign is initially paying $500,000 for the ad to air in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore television markets, our media partner, the Baltimore Banner, reported.    

Obama, who remains a popular figure in Democratic politics, made his first campaign appearance Saturday ahead of next month's midterm elections at a rally in Ohio to promote two Democrats: gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and senate candidate Sherrod Brown.  

Voters share views on Question 3

A poll conducted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) earlier this month found that 25% of likely voters plan on marking yes on Question 3, while 53% said they would vote no. Another 19% said they remained undecided. 

Among those planning to vote yes, 35% identified as Democrats, while 9% identified as Republicans. Another 17% identified as unaffiliated. Among those who said they plan to vote no, 42% identified as Democrats, while 74% identified as Republicans. Another 59% said they were unaffiliated. 

While the ballot measure would not automatically redraw the districts, it would allow the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to do so next session. That could spell the end of GOP control and Rep. Andy Harris' tenure over District 1, which covers the Eastern Shore and parts of Baltimore, Carroll and Harford counties.

The Democrat-led state legislature held a special session in August to add Question 3 to the November ballot. It passed the House 96-38 and the Senate 32-13. But Republican groups sued to block the question from appearing on the ballot, arguing that the legislature had missed a deadline and that the language was confusing. 

The legal battle reached the state's highest court, with the Maryland Supreme Court ultimately ruling that Question 3 could appear before voters, but needed to be rewritten to be more clear.