Aiming for an '8-Seat Sweep,' Democrats Fire Back at Trump and the GOP
Lower Court Overturned to Approve Ballot Measure… Ballot Summary Ordered to Be Rewritten
Signals a Seismic Shift in the 2028 Elections… Targeting Sole Republican Rep. Andy Harris
Amid a fierce showdown between both parties over control of the U.S. House of Representatives this November, Maryland voters will directly decide on a state constitutional amendment regarding redistricting authority.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled that a constitutional amendment on redistricting (Question 3), backed by Democrats, must be placed on the November ballot. This decision overturned lower court rulings that had blocked the measure from being put to a vote. However, the Supreme Court ordered that the ballot summary read by voters be rewritten for greater clarity.
The ruling is seen as a welcome victory for Democrats mounting a defense against redistricting efforts led by former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Ned Miller, chief strategist for "Fight Back MD," which is leading the campaign in favor of the amendment, said, "A victory in court is just the first step," adding, "We will go all out in our statewide voter persuasion campaign to pass Question 3 this November and stand up to Trump."
Democrats currently hold seven of the eight U.S. House seats allocated to Maryland. Even if passed, the amendment will not immediately alter congressional district boundaries for this year's elections. However, if approved by voters, Democrats will secure the legal authority to redraw districts to potentially sweep all eight seats in the 2028 general elections.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) convened a special legislative session in August to pass the measure putting the constitutional amendment to a referendum. The crux of the amendment is to nullify the legal grounds used by the court in 2022 when it struck down the Democrats' redistricting map as unconstitutional, calling it "the product of extreme partisan gerrymandering."
At the time, the court determined that state constitutional provisions requiring districts to be compact and respect natural boundaries also applied to congressional districts. This amendment, however, changes the language to restrict those districting standards solely to "state legislative districts."
If the amendment is ultimately approved, the General Assembly will have the leeway to configure districts across the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. Such a move is expected to deal a decisive blow to the district of Representative Andy Harris, Maryland's sole Republican congressman and chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Earlier, lower courts had barred the measure from the ballot on procedural grounds, ruling that Democratic lawmakers missed state statutory deadlines—including a July 1 filing deadline and a 15-day public comment period. However, with the State Supreme Court decisively overturning those decisions, the November vote is now locked in.