Question 3 would change the state Constitution’s treatment of congressional district boundaries
By Midtown Times Staff
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Midtown Times) — Former President Barack Obama is encouraging Maryland voters to approve Question 3, a proposed constitutional amendment at the center of an increasingly contentious debate over congressional redistricting.
In a television advertisement released by Gov. Wes Moore’s campaign, Obama argues that Maryland should respond to Republican-led efforts to redraw congressional maps in other states. The advertisement is airing in the Baltimore and Washington media markets through an initial $500,000 purchase.
Moore and other Democratic leaders describe the proposal as a way to defend Maryland’s political influence and counter mid-decade redistricting elsewhere. Moore has said the debate concerns the future of representative government rather than the fate of a single congressional seat.
Question 3 would amend the Maryland Constitution to clarify that certain districting requirements apply only to seats in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates—not to congressional districts. It would also permit the General Assembly to give the state Supreme Court original jurisdiction over challenges to congressional maps.
The official language further states that the Maryland Constitution would provide no specific criteria governing congressional district boundaries. Federal voting and constitutional protections would still apply.
If approved, the amendment would give state lawmakers greater flexibility to redraw Maryland’s congressional map. Political observers say Democrats could use that authority to alter the Eastern Shore-based district represented by Andy Harris, the state’s only Republican member of Congress.
Republicans and some independent critics oppose the measure, arguing that it would weaken protections against partisan gerrymandering and allow the General Assembly to design districts favoring Democrats. They contend that Maryland should not respond to disputed redistricting practices in other states by adopting similar tactics.
The issue has also divided some Democrats. Dan Schwartz, the Democratic candidate challenging Harris, has said he opposes the amendment because Maryland already has only one congressional district represented by the minority party.
Question 3 reached the ballot after lawmakers approved it during a special legislative session. Opponents sued to prevent the referendum from going forward, arguing in part that its original wording was misleading.
The Supreme Court of Maryland agreed that a portion of the proposed language could confuse voters but declined to remove the question from the ballot. Instead, the court ordered election officials to replace the disputed wording with revised language based on the amendment’s legislative purpose.
Political science professor Todd Eberly of St. Mary’s College of Maryland has warned that the revised description may remain difficult for voters without a background in government or election law to interpret.
The referendum has become one of Maryland’s most closely watched ballot contests. Supporters characterize it as a defensive response to Republican redistricting, while opponents describe it as an attempt to give Democratic lawmakers greater control over the state’s congressional boundaries.
Maryland voters will decide Question 3 during the Nov. 3 general election.
