Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission Releases Single-Member Map

Draft map implements long-awaited plan to have one member per House District

The Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission released their long-awaited draft map for House of Delegates Legislative districts today, which includes single-member districts.

Instead of carving up the state into one, two, or three-member districts based solely on political considerations as Democrats have long done, the Governor’s non-partisan commission instead creates 141 single-member districts ensuring that each Marylander has one Senator and one Delegate representing them in Annapolis.

This is the change that many reformers have been hoping for.

As a resident of District 31, prior to the post-2010 redistricting plan I was represented by three members in the House of Delegates. After 2014, I have lived in a two-member subdistrict. The previous Governor’s Redistrict Advisory Committee appointed in 2011 stripped me of one of my elected members of the House of Delegates. All across the state, Marylanders have varying amounts of representation depending on where they live. That is unfair, that is wrong, and it violates the spirit of “One Person, One Vote”.

Single-member districts will eliminate these discrepancies in representation.

In addition to equalizing representation, single-member districts will increase diversity in the House of Delegates. Marylanders will be better represented politically, culturally, racially, and socio-economically with this change in philosophy. Single-member districts will create lower barriers to entry for political participation for new leaders, and will allow members of the House of Delegates to be more representative of the communities which they serve.

Here’s a closer look at some more of these district lines.

The Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission will be the lines submitted by Governor Larry Hogan to the General Assembly for approval.

EDIT: Important note from Commission Co-Chair Walter Olson

Walter Olson @walterolson

@TheDuckpin Note that while the commission considered this map this evening, it will also look at variations/alternatives. Some members indicated that they favor some use of multi-member districts and no decision has yet been made on that.