The Maryland General Assembly will meet in Annapolis next week to redraw Maryland’s eight congressional districts, and residents can sign up to deliver virtual testimony on the proposal.

Anyone interested in providing testimony on congressional redistricting can sign up on the General Assembly website beginning on Thursday, December 2, at 9:00 am and Friday, December 3, at 6:00 pm.

Congressional lines are drawn solely by the legislature and subject to gubernatorial veto.

The General Assembly will consider maps for state legislative districts when it returns for its regular session in January. The governor, aided by an advisory commission, will submit a state legislative redistricting proposal. The legislature may pass its own plan by joint resolution, not subject to a gubernatorial veto. If the legislature fails to approve its plan, the governor’s plan takes effect.

In a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering challenges to electoral maps are political questions and thus beyond the reach of the federal courts, dismissing challenges by voters in Maryland and North Carolina.

The ruling held that Maryland did not have to redraw congressional election districts before the 2020 elections. Instead, the maps must be redrawn in time for the 2022 elections, in accordance with 2020 United States Census data.

In addition to redrawing congressional districts, the General Assembly will consider overriding several gubernatorial vetoes and select a replacement for State Treasurer Nancy Kopp, who announced her retirement after nearly 20 years on the job.

Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.