Moore says he wants “fair maps” for Marylanders.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s plan to draw up a new electoral map in the state is moving forward.
Maryland currently has seven Democratic Congressmen and one Republican. In November, Moore dipped his toe into the redistricting arms race by creating a commission to decide whether or not to gerrymander the state’s Congressional districts.
Moore says he wants “fair maps” for Marylanders.
He also says he wants to redraw the maps to defend democracy against Republican state gerrymandering, like in Texas.
The redistricting committee has had several public online meetings, but in a closed private session on Thursday, the group voted to move forward on redrawing the maps.
In Annapolis on Friday, reporters asked why the commission’s vote was not public like the rest of the meetings.
“I think the process of how yesterday’s meeting went, it has to go,” said Moore. “Those questions have to go to the commission, but I know that the committee members, that we’ve spoken to, and again bipartisan Democratic and Republican members, they all- none of them feel that this was a pre-baked process or that the work that they have been doing tirelessly for these past weeks listening to the people of Maryland constituted a pre-baked process.”
The plan has caused division among Democrats.
In 2000, Maryland had four Republicans and four Democrats in Congress before redistricting.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson says he is opposed to redistricting, further adding that it could end up in court and Democrats could end up losing seats.