Maryland Democrats considering partisan redistricting for 2028 election

Sarah Rankin, Associated Press Sarah Rankin, Associated Press Maryland lawmakers kicked off a special session Monday to consider a first step in a partisan redistricting initiative that could help Democrats pick up an additional U.S. House seat by 2028. The General Assembly was set to begin debate on a proposed constitutional amendment intended to give Democrats greater latitude to draw congressional maps favoring their party, which currently represents seven of the state's eight House districts. The proposal would have to be approved by voters before lawmakers could begin considering new district lines. Deep blue Maryland's move, which the state's minority Republicans have called a blatant power grab, is the latest turn in the national battle over redistricting, which kicked off a year ago and has reshaped the U.S.

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Scoop News DeskMaryland · Published Monday, August 3, 2026 at 5:25 PM UTCUpdated Monday, August 3, 2026 at 8:05 PM UTC

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In advance of the special session, Republicans criticized the move by Democrats and raised concerns about limits set on testimony for the special session. "We are very concerned with the significant limitations on witnesses, and the reality that any bill hearing is obviously intended to be a brief and meaningless formality," House Minority Leader Jason Buckel said in a statement.