Maryland Democrats should reject gerrymandering and set a national precedent

The mid-decade redistricting initiated by President Trump is mostly finished for the moment, except in Maryland. In November, voters across the state will be asked to support or oppose Question Three, a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for additional gerrymandering. The phrasing of the question makes it difficult to understand its intended purpose, but it seeks to remove any requirement that congressional districts be compact, contiguous and respectful of geographic features.

This means that Cumberland in Western Maryland and Salisbury on the Eastern Shore — separated by the Chesapeake Bay and nearly the entire width of the state — could one day end up represented by the same member of Congress. Maryland could end up with polka-dot districts, where neighborhoods in distant cities and rural counties are joined together with narrow tendrils to create a favorable mix of voters.

Democratic voters in Maryland are being told by Gov. Wes Moore (D) and his allies in the legislature that a vote in favor of Question Three is a way to fight back against President Trump. Their argument is undermined, however, by the reality that Democrats have been trying to gerrymander Maryland’s last Republican held district out of existence for many years, including as recently as 2022 when Trump was out of office and Joe Biden was president.

Maryland Democrats are being offered a false choice. It is simply not necessary to gerrymander Maryland to oppose Trump. Despite what Marylanders are being told, adopting tactics we abhor makes our politics worse instead of better. Democrats are on track to retake control of the........

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