Hogan: Keep Comments Coming On Redistricting

Marylanders are being encouraged to comment on draft maps of legislative and congressional districts produced by the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Governor Larry Hogan said Wednesday that final map recommendations can be expected from the commission by early November. Hogan appointed members to the Citizens Commission in an effort to reduce the influence of politics over the process and to reduce gerrymandering.

Draft maps and a review of public hearings are available at redistricting.maryland.gov,

“As a mix of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, our members have embraced our charge to create new district boundaries that are free from political influence and offer the opportunity for free and fair elections in Maryland,” the Commission stated in a recent update to the governor. “We are continuing to engage the community and urge their participation in this very open, public, and transparent process. We will finalize our commission’s map plans and present them to you for your consideration. You can expect these final map recommendations by early November.”

“This is what real nonpartisan redistricting looks like: fairness, transparency, and accountability,” Hogan said. “While the Citizens Commission has already published draft maps and held dozens of public meetings, the legislature’s backroom partisan process is run by career politicians, has released no draft maps, and has no map portal for citizen input. I encourage all Marylanders to take part in the process and comment on the independent Commission’s maps. We want to make sure that this time the people of Maryland are actually drawing these maps—not the politicians or the party bosses.”