ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission held a meeting on Nov. 18 to hear public testimony on the issue of redrawing voting districts in Maryland before the 2026 elections. Most speakers at the meeting either advocated for redistricting to “preserve democracy” or opposed it due to possible legal and logistical consequences.
Gov. Wes Moore announced the reconstitution of the advisory commission on Nov. 4, 2025. This bipartisan commission has historically taken up efforts every 10 years to organize public hearings and make legislative and congressional redistricting recommendations to the governor and Maryland General Assembly.
The commission consists of Commission Chair Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Prince George’s; former Attorney General Brian Frosh[D]; Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss[UA]; Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson[D]; and Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones[D].
The committee was last constituted in 2011. This exploration of mid-cycle redistricting is said to be in response to redistricting efforts in Republican states like Texas, which are redrawing maps to gain seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.
“We have a president that treats our democracy with utter contempt. We have a Republican Party that is trying to rig the rules in response to their terrible polling,” said Alsobrooks. “Let me be clear: Maryland deserves a fair map that represents the will of the people. That’s why I’m proud to chair this commission. Our democracy depends on all of us standing up in this moment.”
Ferguson has been open about his disagreement with redistricting efforts at this time and sent a letter to fellow Democrats on Oct. 28 to share his views.
“Instead of being subsumed by redistricting, we should focus on policies that will tangibly improve the lives of Marylanders in the face of this federal onslaught and demonstrate the power of states in checking a lawless president,” Ferguson wrote.
At the meeting, speaker Karl Aro, who identified himself as the former executive director of the Department of Legislative Services and a past General Assembly employee, said he was involved in five previous rounds of redistricting. Aro was one of several speakers who cautioned that the new maps were likely to be challenged in court and that it was too close to the election to expect local election boards to be able to adjust to these changes. The elections will take place in November 2026.
“I won’t say I’m an expert,” Aro said. “But I’ve been through a lot, I’ve seen a lot, and I think doing this midterm redistricting is a major mistake and very high risk for a lot of reasons.”
Many other speakers passionately advocated for redistricting as one of the few tools left to preserve a fair voting system under a Republican-controlled federal government.
The advisory commission will meet again on Dec. 5. All meetings are available online.
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Do whatever it takes to rid Maryland of democrats!