{"id":2258,"date":"2025-11-06T12:12:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T17:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/?post_type=press&p=2258"},"modified":"2025-11-06T12:12:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T17:12:22","slug":"maryland-maps-must-protect-fair-representation-and-meet-common-cause-fairness-criteria","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/maryland\/press\/maryland-maps-must-protect-fair-representation-and-meet-common-cause-fairness-criteria\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Maps Must Protect Fair Representation and Meet Common Cause Fairness Criteria"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2258","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"Common Cause, the nation\u2019s premier redistricting reform leader, is urging Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland state lawmakers to ensure that any mid-decade redistricting meets the organization\u2019s six fairness criteria after the governor announced this week he is launching a Redistricting Advisory Commission. ","featured_image":"","press_type":145,"authors":"","related_issues":[62,442],"related_work":[351],"location":23},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"
\r\n\r\nAnnapolis, MD<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2014 Common Cause, the nation\u2019s premier redistricting\u00a0reform\u00a0leader, is urging\u00a0Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland state lawmakers\u00a0to ensure that any mid-decade redistricting meets the organization\u2019s six fairness criteria\u00a0after the governor announced\u00a0this\u00a0week\u00a0he\u00a0is\u00a0launching\u00a0a Redistricting Advisory Commission.\r\n\r\n\u201cCommon Cause opposes gerrymandering and has remained consistent throughout the mid-decade redistricting fight,\u201d said Joanne Antoine, executive director, Common Cause Maryland. <\/strong>\"But\u00a0we\u00a0also\u00a0recognize these are unprecedented times.\u00a0If\u00a0this is the route the Maryland legislature decides to take,\u00a0we urge them to follow our fairness criteria.\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0the People\u2019s Lobby, and\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0always work to protect the people\u2019s voices.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cPresident Trump set off a cycle of mid-decade redistricting when he directed Texas to find him five more\u00a0Republican seats,\u201d\u00a0said Dan Vicu\u00f1a, Common Cause Senior Policy Director for Voting and Fair Representation.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWe\u00a0developed\u00a0fairness criteria\u00a0to give every state engaging in a counterbalance to President Trump\u2019s partisan power grab a clear, consistent standard that prevents long-term harm to fair representation.\u201d\r\n\r\nCommon Cause does not endorse partisan gerrymandering and\u00a0created\u00a0its\u00a0fairness\u00a0criteria as a national framework to guide states as they navigate this escalating redistricting cycle. The criteria were developed to prevent partisan reactions\u2014Democratic and Republican alike\u2014from 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\u2019s opposition.\r\n\r\nCommon Cause\u2019s Six Fairness Criteria:\r\n
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