Annapolis, MD — Common Cause Maryland demands the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission release any new congressional maps before this Friday’s hearing, arguing voters deserve transparency before being asked to support changes to their districts.

“Voters can’t make informed decisions about their support for mid-decade redistricting unless they are able to see the proposed maps,” said Joanne Antoine, executive director, Common Cause Maryland. “Marylanders need to know how new maps would realistically impact the representation of their communities. The Redistricting Commission should stop wasting time and release the maps.”

The Commission has convened four times already without publishing a proposed map for voters to comment on. This is the last opportunity for the Commission to make any new maps public before the end of the year.

Common Cause does not endorse partisan gerrymandering. Common Cause 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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