Overview
- Lawmakers opened a three-day special session that began Monday to consider a constitutional amendment that would change how Maryland draws congressional districts.
- The amendment would clarify that state rules requiring district compactness and respect for ‘natural boundaries’ apply only to state legislative districts, not to congressional maps.
- If three-fifths majorities in both chambers approve the measure this week, the question would go to voters on the November ballot and could let lawmakers redraw districts for 2028 if ratified.
- Republicans criticized tight limits on public testimony, called the move a partisan power grab aimed at Rep. Andy Harris’s Eastern Shore seat, and signaled campaigns and procedural resistance including possible floor tactics.
- Supporters say the change responds to a 2022 court ruling and recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that altered voting-rights law, but legal challenges are expected and the amendment would not affect the 2026 midterm maps.