Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting advisory commission met in private Thursday to recommend that the state move forward with considering new congressional boundary maps.
The five-member commission’s virtual meeting was not announced to the public, nor was it open to the public.
The governor’s office issued a statement on behalf of U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, the commission’s chair, saying members agreed to “continue our work to recommend a congressional map to the Governor and the General Assembly.”
Alsobrooks, a Democrat, invited Marylanders to submit map ideas over the next two weeks and committed to holding two public meetings after the Christmas holiday.
Senate President Bill Ferguson, a commission member who opposes mid-decade redistricting, issued a statement just before the closed-door meeting blasting the panel for meeting in private.
“Pushing forward a pre-ordained recommendation outside the public eye is irresponsible and lacks transparency,” Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, said in his statement.
Further, Ferguson charged that the commission “did not engage in a thoughtful, informed conversation.”
The governor’s office believes the commission is not subject to the Maryland Open Meetings Act requiring public meetings because it was not created by a state law or executive order.
The commission heard hours of testimony from Marylanders in video meetings over the past few weeks; the feedback has been mixed, with some backing redistricting and others opposed.
Commission members did not engage with people who spoke or discuss the testimony.
Those meetings were open to anyone to join whether they planned to testify or not, and they were also broadcast on YouTube.
At the final listening session last week, commission members gave no indication of when they would meet again or what their next steps would be.
Commission member Ray Morriss, a Republican who is the mayor of Cumberland, said commissioners discussed their opinions during Thursday’s meeting but did not take a formal vote.
Morriss, who was appointed to the commission by the governor, said he expressed reservations about moving ahead with redrawing maps. There are plenty of questions about what different people think is “fair” when it comes to maps, and the state is running out of time to adopt a new map and get it past likely legal challenges, he said.
“To me, there are more pressing matters in the State of Maryland than redistricting is my feeling,” Morriss said.
Del. C.T. Wilson, who represents the House of Delegates on the commission, said he viewed the meeting as a “check-in call” among commissioners. The Charles County Democrat is adamantly in favor of redrawing maps.
“Everybody kind of gave their opinion on whether they agreed with moving forward to the next phase,” Wilson said.
Wilson pushed back on Ferguson’s assertion that the outcome was predetermined. He said no one had coordinated with him on his position, and he always thought the commission would “play it out to the end” and recommend a new map.
Those who want to adopt new congressional districts are facing a closing window of time to act. The General Assembly, which would have to vote on a new map, opens its next legislative session on Jan. 14, and Ferguson’s opposition will make it difficult for proponents to pass a new map.
The deadline for candidates to file to run for office in 2026 is Feb. 24 ahead of the primary election in June. Any new map would likely face a legal challenge that could take weeks or months to resolve.
Democratic leaders in Maryland have been considering whether to join other states in redrawing congressional lines to counter President Donald Trump’s push to get Republican states to do so to maintain the GOP’s narrow margin in the House of Representatives. Trump persuaded Texas to rework its districts to send five more Republicans to Congress, prompting a counter-move by California. Other states have joined the fray.
Maryland’s House delegation includes seven Democrats and one Republican, U.S. Rep. Andy Harris. Some Democrats want to redraw Harris’ Eastern Shore-based district to make it friendlier to Democrats.
Moore, a Democrat, has supported the concept of redistricting and set up the commission to make recommendations. The majority of Democrats in the House of Delegates appear to support a redistricting effort, but Ferguson and the majority of Senate Democrats do not.
Banner reporter Lee O. Sanderlin contributed to this article.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.