MD legislature to convene for August special session on redistricting ballot question

The Maryland General Assembly will convene for a special session in August to consider placing a constitutional amendment regarding congressional redistricting standards on the November ballot, leadership said Tuesday.

“After recent court decisions weakened the federal Voting Rights Act and created new uncertainty around congressional redistricting, Maryland needs a clear legal path forward,” Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, said in a statement. “This special session will allow the General Assembly to do its part while ensuring that Maryland voters make the final decision.” 

During the special legislative session, which will occur Aug. 3 through 5, lawmakers will debate a proposed ballot question to clarify the specifics of congressional redistricting in the state constitution. If approved by a three-fifths vote in both chambers, a referendum will appear on Marylanders’ ballots for the November general election.

The lawmakers’ announcement did not provide details regarding the language of the ballot question.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, an ally of President Donald Trump’s, is the lone Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation. His district represents the whole of the Eastern Shore, where the president is popular, up to a sliver of Baltimore County.

During the regular 2026 legislative session, the House passed a new congressional map along party lines that likely would have unseated Harris. That legislation did not move in the Senate chamber.

“Consensus on this issue has been clear in the House. Maryland needs a durable, transparent constitutional framework for congressional redistricting that reflects the evolving legal landscape,” House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s, said in a statement. “This special session gives the General Assembly the opportunity to respond thoughtfully to recent court decisions while ensuring that Maryland voters have the final say on any proposed constitutional changes.”

The legislature also convened for a special session in December 2021 to approve a congressional map. In 2022, Judge Lynne A. Battaglia, appointed to assess it by the Maryland Supreme Court, struck it down. She ruled that it violated the Maryland Constitution and called it “a product of extreme gerrymandering.”

In a statement upon Tuesday’s announcement, Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said his administration “will work closely with the General Assembly as they consider legislation to ensure our state has the tools necessary to protect voters and defend fair representation.”

The move could prove to be the bookend of a monthslong legislative battle between Moore, who has pushed for a new congressional map since November, and Ferguson, who effectively shelved legislation to do so during the 90-day regular legislative session.

“For months, I have said that inaction is not an option and we cannot sit on the sidelines while voting rights, fair representation, and the foundations of our democracy come under attack across the country,” Moore said. “I appreciate the General Assembly’s continued conversations and the agreement to come back to finish the work.”

State Senate Republicans, however, decried the decision to reconvene, arguing that its purpose is to serve Moore’s potential political ambition.

“They already hold seven of eight congressional seats. One Republican Congressman represents hundreds of thousands of Marylanders who deserve a voice in Washington,” Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready, R-Carroll and Frederick, said in a statement. “This special session is designed to erase that voice and hand national Democrats another seat in the U.S. House.”

According to a news release from the caucus, Senate Republicans are planning to introduce legislation during the special session to address Marylanders’ fiscal concerns, including energy costs and vehicle fees.

“If you’re going to call us back, use the opportunity to solve real problems,” stated Senate Minority Leader Stephen S. Hershey Jr., R-Upper Eastern Shore. “Senate Republicans will come to Annapolis ready to act on the kitchen table issues that Marylanders are actually losing sleep over. We hope the Governor and his allies will join us. But we won’t hold our breath.”

House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy, R-Frederick, called it “absolutely shameful” that Democrats are “willing to expend so much time and energy disenfranchising more than a million Republican voters in this state.”

“It certainly flies in the face of Governor Moore’s motto of ‘leave no one behind.’” he said.

House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, R-Allegany, said his caucus members “remain committed to fighting against partisan gerrymandering and to fighting for affordability for Maryland’s families” in light of Ferguson and Peña-Melnyk’s news.

“Our citizens deserve more from their leaders than these political games,” he said.

This story has been updated.