MARYLAND - Maryland voters have approved Question 3, a constitutional amendment changing the rules governing congressional redistricting, the Associated Press has projected.
The amendment specifies that state constitutional requirements for compact, adjoining districts. The amendment does not itself redraw any districts.
The vote follows months of debate over congressional representation on the Eastern Shore. As WBOC reported in January, the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission recommended a map concept that would extend the 1st Congressional District across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into parts of Anne Arundel and Howard counties, while removing portions of Cecil, Harford, and Baltimore counties.
Rep. Andy Harris criticized that proposal, arguing it would join Eastern Shore communities with areas that have different interests. Residents who supported the effort described it as a response to Republican-led redistricting elsewhere.
Question 3 also allows lawmakers to authorize the Supreme Court of Maryland to hear congressional redistricting challenges directly.
