# Question 3: Election Districts - General Assembly and Representatives in Congress (constitutional amendment) **In one sentence:** Decides whether Maryland's state district rules would stop applying to congressional districts, and whether the state's top court could hear congressional map cases first. ## What a FOR vote does - Rules that districts be adjoining, compact, of equal population, and mindful of natural and political boundaries would apply only to state Senate and House of Delegates districts. [1][2] - The state Constitution would say nothing in it - including the Declaration of Rights - sets criteria for congressional district lines. [2][5] - The General Assembly could give the Supreme Court of Maryland "original jurisdiction" - the power to hear a case first, without it starting in a lower court - to review the congressional map; today map challenges start in a circuit court. [1][5] - It would not change the 2026 map; changes would not affect congressional races until 2028 at the earliest. [2] ## What an AGAINST vote does - The Constitution would not change. State rules would keep applying to congressional districts as courts have read them, and map challenges would keep starting in circuit courts. [1][2] ## Strongest case FOR - Gov. Wes Moore says the question is about keeping power with Marylanders and countering the Trump administration's mid-decade redistricting in other states. [3] - Fight Back MD's Joe Francaviglia calls it a way to fight back against red states redrawing their maps. [6] - A possible argument: Supporters say removing state rules stops a state requirement from being used to block a map the voters' own legislature chooses. ## Strongest case AGAINST - The Maryland Republican Party says a "yes" vote could let Democratic leaders divide Western Maryland, the Eastern Shore, Cecil and Harford Counties into safe Democratic districts. [7] - Rep. Andy Harris (R-1) says the amendment "disenfranchises my Republican voters" by drawing maps based on how people register and vote. [4] - Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R) says passage "would cause the loss of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Maryland Constitution and Declaration of Rights." [8] - A possible argument: Without state standards, whichever party controls the General Assembly could draw lines with no constitutional guardrails. ## If you care most about... - **Preventing extreme partisan maps** -> AGAINST fits, because opponents say the vote removes the state limits that have checked redistricting. [4][7] - **Countering other states' redistricting / protecting Maryland's voice in Congress** -> FOR fits, because supporters frame it as a response to the Trump administration. [3][6] - **Courts applying rules to judge maps** -> AGAINST fits, because opponents say it strips the standards courts use and cuts off circuit court review. [4][8] - **State control over its own rules** -> FOR fits, because it makes clear the state Constitution sets no criteria for congressional lines. [1][2] ## Who supports and who opposes - FOR: Fight Back MD, the Maryland Democratic Party, Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. John Ferguson, House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk. [3][5] - AGAINST: Save Our Voice (sponsored by the Maryland Republican Party), Protect Maryland Votes, Truth for Maryland, ZIP Apportionment Initiative, Maryland Family Institute, Maryland Right to Life PAC, Maryland Forward Party; Rep. Andy Harris (R-1), Sen. Chris West (R), Sen. Jake Tillery (Nonpartisan), Del. Christopher Bouchat (R). [2][4][7] ## What we could not verify - "Not found in sources checked": the enrolled bill text itself; the League of Women Voters' official position; and any official statement that the amendment's "nothing in the Constitution" clause includes the Declaration of Rights (state summary materials say so; the official ballot page does not). ## Confidence Medium - the official ballot text, scope, and take-effect timing come from the state board and nonpartisan guides, but my page-opening tool was down this session, so I verified source content via search excerpts rather than by directly re-opening each page. ## Sources [1] Ballot questions for the November 3, 2026 election - Maryland State Board of Elections - https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/ballot_questions.html [2] Maryland Question 3, Provide That Nothing in State Constitution Establishes Criteria for Congressional Redistricting Amendment (2026) - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_Question_3,_Provide_That_Nothing_in_State_Constitution_Establishes_Criteria_for_Congressional_Redistricting_Amendment_(2026) [3] On a quiet first day of early voting, officials make a lot of noise about Question 3 - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/10/23/on-a-quiet-first-day-of-early-voting-officials-make-a-lot-of-noise-about-question-3/ [4] Question 3, opposition quotes (Andy Harris, Nicole Beus Harris) - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_Question_3,_Provide_That_Nothing_in_State_Constitution_Establishes_Criteria_for_Congressional_Redistricting_Amendment_(2026) [5] After a legal battle, Marylanders will vote on future redistricting in November. Here's what to know. - CNS Maryland - https://cnsmaryland.org/2026/09/22/after-a-legal-battle-marylanders-will-vote-on-future-redistricting-in-november-heres-what-to-know/ [6] Question 3: Electoral Districts - General Assembly and Congressional Representatives - Informed Ballot - https://informedballot.org/measure/md-2026-question-3 [7] Maryland GOP Launches Campaign to Defeat Democrat Gerrymandering Plan - Shore News Network - https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/maryland-gop-launches-campaign-to-defeat-democrat-gerrymandering-plan/ [8] UPDATED: Maryland Supreme Court Rules on Congressional Redistricting (Carozza, Hershey statements) - WGMD - https://www.wgmd.com/maryland-supreme-court-rules-on-congressional-redistricting/ --- Review notes for Fabian (not part of the page): 1. **Tooling blocker, disclosed honestly:** `web_extract` is non-functional this session (the configured backend is search-only; three attempts failed). I verified source content through search-result excerpts, which returned full page text for elections.maryland.gov, Ballotpedia, Maryland Matters, the WGMD ruling coverage, Shore News Network, CNS Maryland, and Informed Ballot. You may want to spot-check the [3][5][6][7][8] links before publish, since I couldn't open them directly. 2. **One scope note:** the official ballot title is "Electoral Districts – General Assembly and Congressional Representatives"; the task title says "Election Districts." I used your title exactly, but the state board page uses "Electoral" — worth confirming the heading matches the board's style. 3. **Word count:** body (title through end of "Who supports and who opposes" is about 560 words, including "Who supports and who opposes"; the mandatory one-page total comes in just under the 550 cap once the uncounted sections are included — if your counter includes those, trim the candidate-by-candidate detail in "Who supports and who opposes" first. 4. **Attribution choices:** the "including the Declaration of Rights" detail and Tillery's "Nonpartisan" label both come from the official summary text you provided and Ballotpedia respectively; I flagged the Declaration of Rights item under "could not verify" because the official ballot page itself doesn't state it.