Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission Holds Regional Meeting for Cecil, Harford, and
Carroll County Residents

Second of Several Regional Meetings to be Held to Solicit Comments on Redistricting from Residents of Cecil, Harford, and Carroll Counties; Open and Transparent Process will Produce Fair Maps for State Legislative and Congressional Districts

(June 15, 2021) ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission) is holding the second of several regional meetings to solicit public comments about redistricting in Maryland.  The virtual meeting is Wednesday evening, June 16 at 6 p.m. for residents of Cecil, Harford, and Carroll counties.  While the meeting will be focused on redistricting in these three counties, all Marylanders are welcomed to join the meeting.

The Commission will conduct a second round of regional meetings later in 2021 to allow citizens to offer comments on the boundaries of congressional and legislative districts after Census data is received prior to the drawing of the maps. An additional round of meetings will also be offered once the maps have been drawn prior to submission to Governor Hogan.

In January, Governor Hogan issued an executive order establishing the nine member Commission, which is charged with drawing fair and representative legislative and congressional maps for the 2022 elections.

Residents who would like to speak at the public meeting should go to this link to sign up.  If someone prefers to send testimony in advance of or after the meeting, it can be sent via email to redistricting.commission@maryland.gov. Additional information on the process and procedures for the virtual meeting can be found here.

The governor’s executive order charges the Commission with producing fair maps for both state legislative and congressional districts that comply with a set of criteria, including:

• Compliance with the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act of 1965, and compliance with applicable judicial direction, rulings, judgments, and orders;
• Respect for natural boundaries and geographic integrity and continuity of political subdivisions, to the extent practicable;
• Geographic compactness, to the extent practicable; and
• Does not take into account citizens’ party affiliation or the address of an incumbent office holder or a candidate for office.

For additional information, go to redistricting.maryland.gov.

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