Maryland Redistricting Plans Move Forward After A Closed-Door Meeting

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission has decided to move forward with redrawing Maryland’s congressional maps, according to a press release from Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, who heads the commission.

In a closed-door, 3-2 vote on Dec. 18, the commission decided to continue the process of redrawing maps and is asking for recommendations from the public. The meeting where the vote took place was not listed on the commission’s website, nor was it available to the public like previous meetings.

The statement from Alsobrooks said they would “continue our work to recommend a congressional map to the governor and the General Assembly.”

“After Christmas, we will make the submitted maps available publicly and hold two additional public meetings to gather feedback on the options before us. This process will remain open, transparent, and focused on ensuring Maryland’s districts reflect our communities and comply with the law,” Alsobrooks said in a statement.

This decision comes just over a month since Gov. Wes Moore created the commission. The move has had both supporters and critics, many of whom spoke publicly at past commission meetings.

State Sen. Bill Ferguson was one of those critics. Also a member of the commission, Ferguson released a statement ahead of the meeting that criticized the decision for being “preordained” and lacking transparency. “The outcome is already known,” the statement said. “Clearly, the commission’s work was predetermined from the moment the GRAC was announced.”

The public can submit maps over the next two weeks by emailing grac@maryland.gov.

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