Press Release
Redistricting Commission: Show Us the Maps
Annapolis, MD — Today, Common Cause Maryland demanded the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission release any new congressional maps before holding further hearings, arguing voters deserve transparency before being asked to support changes to their districts.
“Any conversation about Maryland mid-decade redistricting is moot unless Marylanders are able to see the new maps they are being asked to support,” said Joanne Antoine, executive director, Common Cause Maryland. “Voters can’t make informed decisions about this process if the Commission isn’t fully transparent. That’s why we’re asking the Commission: release the maps.”
This is the second time the Commission is meeting, and the first hearing held without providing maps for public input. Maps should be made available before the next public hearing takes place.
Common Cause does not endorse partisan gerrymandering and created its fairness criteria as a national framework to guide states as they navigate this escalating redistricting cycle. The criteria were developed to prevent partisan reactions—Democratic and Republican alike—from entrenching long-term inequities in representation. To date, Common Cause has evaluated mid-decade redistricting in three states: California, Missouri, and Texas. States must meet all six criteria to avoid Common Cause’s opposition.
Common Cause’s Six Fairness Criteria:
- Proportionality: Any mid-decade redistricting should be a targeted response proportional to the threat posed by mid-decade gerrymanders in other states.
- Public participation: Any redistricting must include meaningful public participation, whether through ballot initiatives or open public processes.
- Racial equity: Redistricting must not further racial discrimination or dilute the political voice of Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian American, and Pacific Islander, or other communities of color.
- Federal reform: A public endorsement of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, including provisions banning mid-decade redistricting and partisan gerrymandering.
- Endorsement of independent redistricting: Leaders pursuing mid-decade redistricting must publicly endorse fair, neutral redistricting processes, such as citizen-led independent redistricting commissions.
- Time-limited: Any new redistricting maps must expire following the 2030 Census.
To read more about Common Cause’s fairness criteria, click here.
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