Maryland Legislature Puts Congressional Redistricting Amendment on November 2026 Ballot

The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill on August 4, 2026, sending a constitutional amendment to the November 2026 ballot that would exempt congressional districts from state constitutional standards like compactness. Signed by Governor Wes Moore, the measure is designed to bypass a 2022 court ruling that blocked a previous Democratic map. If approved, Democrats could redraw boundaries before 2028 to target the state's lone Republican seat held by Representative Andy Harris. Republicans have threatened legal action, calling the move an ultra-partisan power grab.

Constitutional amendment ballot question

• ▪The Maryland General Assembly approved the ballot measure with a three-fifths majority in both chambers along party lines, clearing the House of Delegates 96-38 and the Senate 32-13.
• ▪The Maryland General Assembly approved a bill during a special session on August 4, 2026, to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot regarding congressional redistricting.
• ▪Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the congressional redistricting ballot question bill into law on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
• ▪The proposed Maryland constitutional amendment would clarify that state constitutional district standards, such as compactness and natural boundaries, apply only to state legislative districts and not to congressional districts.

2022 gerrymandering court ruling

• ▪The 2022 judicial ruling forced Maryland to adopt a replacement congressional map that currently gives Democrats seven of the state's eight U.S. House seats.
• ▪In the 2022 case Szeliga v. Lamone, an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge struck down a Democrat-drawn congressional map as extreme partisan gerrymandering under state constitutional standards.

Democratic redistricting strategy

• ▪If voters approve the amendment, Maryland Democrats could redraw congressional districts before the 2028 election to target the state's lone Republican-held seat, currently represented by Representative Andy Harris.
• ▪Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson changed his stance on mid-decade redistricting following the U.S. Supreme Court's April 2026 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened the Voting Rights Act.
• ▪The proposed amendment would allow Maryland congressional districts to cross the Chesapeake Bay, which is necessary for Democrats to draw a map favoring their party in all eight districts.

Republican opposition arguments

• ▪Maryland Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready stated that the Senate vote fell along party lines and that legal action is the next step for Republicans.
• ▪Maryland Republicans argued that the redistricting bill violates a state law passed in May 2026 that requires ballot questions to be written in plain language and approved by the secretary of state by July 1.
• ▪Representative Andy Harris criticized the amendment, stating it creates a double standard by keeping strict rules for state legislative districts while allowing congressional districts to be drawn on a hyperpartisan basis.

National redistricting battles

• ▪Governor Wes Moore and state Democrats framed the ballot measure as a necessary response to Republican-led mid-decade redistricting efforts in states like Texas and Alabama.
• ▪New York Democrats took steps in June 2026 to place a constitutional amendment on their ballot to allow congressional redrawing for the 2028 elections, mirroring efforts in Maryland.