Election Districts - General Assembly and Representatives in Congress
HB0488 is a constitutional amendment and implementing bill that would redraw Maryland’s congressional districts for use in the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections, with the plan remaining in effect until a new map is adopted after the 2030 census. The bill sets out detailed district boundaries for all eight congressional districts using counties, election districts, wards, precincts, and census blocks. It also repeals the existing statutory congressional districting provisions in the Election Law Article and replaces them with a temporary constitutional framework for congressional redistricting.
In addition to establishing the new congressional map, the bill would clarify that Maryland’s constitutional compactness, contiguity, and related districting requirements apply only to legislative districts for the Senate and House of Delegates, not congressional districts. It also authorizes the General Assembly to grant original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court of Maryland to review congressional districting, creating a potential judicial review mechanism for future map disputes. The amendment would be submitted to voters at the November 2026 general election, and the statutory repeal would take effect only if the constitutional amendment is ratified.
If enacted and ratified, HB0488 would substantially alter Maryland election law by replacing the current statutory congressional districting scheme with a voter-approved constitutional map and by repealing Election Law §§ 8-702 through 8-709. It would affect congressional candidates, voters, election administrators, and county/municipal jurisdictions whose precincts and census blocks are used to define district lines. The bill also changes the constitutional rules governing districting by limiting certain standards to General Assembly districts and by allowing legislative authorization for Supreme Court review of congressional redistricting.
No committee transcript or recorded vote details were provided, so the available context does not show direct debate or opposition. The bill’s introduction as a constitutional amendment, its emergency-measure status, and its favorable committee report with amendments suggest active support among sponsors and committee members. The broad bipartisan-looking sponsor list and House adoption also indicate that the measure had meaningful legislative backing at least in the House.
The main points of contention likely concern redistricting policy rather than the mechanics of the bill: the shape of the new congressional districts, the decision to embed the map in the Constitution, and the proposal to authorize Supreme Court review of congressional districting. The bill also narrows the application of constitutional districting standards to legislative districts only, which could be viewed as limiting judicial or constitutional constraints on congressional maps. Because the bill contains highly detailed district boundaries affecting multiple counties and Baltimore City, affected localities and voters in split precincts could also have concerns about representation and community division.