Redistricting map submitted to Baltimore County Council for review
A redistricting plan was submitted to the Baltimore County Council for review this week.
The recommendations and maps were approved by the county's Redistricting Commission in a 4-3 vote on Monday. The plan would create two majority Black districts in the county and two mostly minority districts, The Baltimore Banner reported.
The commission shared a report and redistricting recommendations with the council on Tuesday, June 17. The council has until October to approve the maps or renegotiate.
Baltimore County leaders react to redistricting plan
As the Redistricting Commission considered the plan on June 5, the ACLU of Maryland held a rally, urging leaders to adopt a fair plan.
The group of advocates called on the commission to create a "legally compliant and community-driven 3-1-5 map," which refers to the racial breakdown of a district. A 3-1-5 map would have three majority Black districts, one that is mostly minorities, and five that are majority white.
The group argued that the map would ensure fair representation for Black and Brown residents in the county.
"Baltimore County is now nearly 50% people of color, and this new nine-district structure offers a once-in-a-generation chance to get it right," said Sharonda Dillard-Huffman with the group of advocates. "We are united in urging the Commission to reject politically motivated gerrymandering and support a map that reflects the true diversity of our county."
During the previous redistricting changes, the ALCU and the NAACP sued the county, leading to $1 million in legal fees before a map was agreed upon, the Baltimore Banner reported.
After the plan was submitted to the council, three Republican Baltimore County Councilmembers, David Marks, Wade Kach and Todd Crandell, told the Banner they are opposing the recommendations, saying they "stand united against the partisan map advanced by this commission."
The maps need to be approved by five of the seven councilmembers to pass
