Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs bill putting future of redistricting on November ballot
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill Wednesday that will put the topic of congressional redistricting on the ballot this November.
"For over a year, I've warned that Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington and across the country are working to rig the system. They are working to weaken voting rights. They are trying to make this pain permanent," Moore said during Wednesday's signing.
The signing comes after lawmakers were called back to Annapolis for a special session earlier this week.
Here's what Marylanders will vote on
The bill does not redraw congressional districts or affect the 2026 midterm elections.
Instead, it will ask Maryland voters whether future congressional maps should be judged under federal constitutional standards, rather than the state's current constitutional standards.
If the bill passes, Maryland Democrats can pursue a new congressional map for the 2028 elections. That could give them a shot at winning all eight of the state's U.S. House seats.
As the map stands right now, Republicans only hold one of Maryland's congressional districts, which currently belongs to Rep. Andy Harris, chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Where both sides stand
The Democratic-controlled state legislature approved the amendment in both chambers during Tuesday's special session. It required three-fifths approval to move forward, clearing the House 96-38 and the Senate 32-13.
Republicans argue the change will remove state constitutional protections and make it easier for Democrats to draw more partisan congressional maps in the future.
Democrats, however, point to multiple states that have already redrawn their maps to benefit Republicans at the request of President Trump, including Alabama and Texas.
"I continue to believe that our country needs national redistricting reform. But until that happens, inaction is not an option," Moore said in a statement after Tuesday's vote. "Maryland will not be caught flat-footed while Republicans engage in political redlining that guts decades of progress that the generations before us fought for."
