Chamber Chat: Maryland’s Redistricting Question Hits Ballots this Fall

SALISBURY, Md. –  In this week’s Chamber Chat, WMDT’s Haley Rae and Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce President Bill Chambers discussed Maryland Ballot Question 3, which sends new standards governing congressional redistricting to the ballot this fall.

Question 3 was sent to ballots across the state following Maryland’s passage of House Bill 2100 in August, and being upheld by the Maryland Supreme Court in early September. The question reads as follows:

FOR the purpose of clarifying that certain requirements apply only to districts for the election of members of the Senate of Maryland and the House of Delegates; authorizing the General Assembly to grant original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court of Maryland to review the congressional districting plan of the State; and providing that nothing in the Maryland Constitution provides applicable criteria for the boundaries of a congressional districting plan.

If adopted by voters this November, the new constitutional provision permitting maps to be redrawn every five years instead of 10; a process referred to as mid-decade redistricting. It does not establish a congressional map, redraw any district boundaries, or make changes affecting the 2026 General Election. 

Bill shared his concerns about redistricting impacts to Maryland’s 1st Congressional District; which includes the entire Eastern Shore, and is the only one of Maryland’s eight districts that is represented by a Republican.

“If this occurs, and the voters across Maryland do agree to vote for Question 3, Eastern Shore Republicans could likely be disenfranchised if the district lines are rewritten in a way that favors more Democrat voters in District One,” Bill elaborated.

Before making a hasty decision about Question 3, Bill says voters should do their homework to fully understand the pros and cons of the constitutional amendment.

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