# Question 3: Election Districts - General Assembly and Representatives in Congress (constitutional amendment)
**In one sentence:** This question asks whether Maryland's Constitution should stop setting rules for how the state's U.S. House districts are drawn, while keeping those rules for state legislative districts. [2][3]

## What a FOR vote does
- Rules in the state Constitution, such as the rule that districts be "compact and contiguous" (connected), would apply only to state Senate and House of Delegates districts. [2][3]
- The Maryland Constitution, including its Declaration of Rights, would provide no rules for drawing congressional district lines. The amendment does not add new rules in their place. [3][4]
- Lawmakers could give the Supreme Court of Maryland "original jurisdiction" over lawsuits about congressional maps. That means those cases would start at the state's highest court. [2][3]
- The amendment does not include a new map. A new map could not affect congressional races before 2028. [3][6]

## What an AGAINST vote does
- The Constitution stays as it is. In 2022, an Anne Arundel County judge ruled that the legislative-district rules also apply to congressional maps. That ruling is not binding precedent. [3][4]
- Lawmakers would not get this amendment's power to send map lawsuits straight to the Supreme Court of Maryland. [2][3]

## Strongest case FOR
- Gov. Wes Moore (D) said map decisions belong "in the hands of Marylanders, not politicians." He also described Question 3 as asking voters, "Do you want the power?" [4][8]
- Sen. Clarence Lam and Rep. Glenn Ivey called the amendment a response to President Trump's push for Republican-led states to redraw their maps. Ivey said, "we've got to fight fire with fire." [5][6]
- Rep. Steny Hoyer said the 2022 court ruling was "a mistake" and that the amendment "clarifies" the issue. [6]
- Maryland Matters' voter guide lists these arguments in favor: the U.S. Supreme Court has held that partisan gerrymandering is legal, and states should be able to respond when other states redraw their maps. [3]

## Strongest case AGAINST
- Protect Maryland Votes says the amendment strips "over 50 years of constitutional protections for fair and compact districts." It says politicians could then draw maps that "can never be challenged in court again." [7]
- Critics say Democrats want to eliminate the 1st District, the state's only Republican-held U.S. House seat, held by Rep. Andy Harris. Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R) called gerrymandering "the ultimate form of voter suppression." [8]
- Maryland Matters' voter guide lists these arguments against: no replacement rules are provided, and voters in the minority party could lose representation. [3]
- Justice Steven Gould, who disagreed with the court's majority, wrote that even the court's rewritten ballot wording "remains misleading." Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey Jr. (R) also said the wording still fails to explain the amendment's true effect. [4]

## If you care most about...
- **Responding to other states that redrew their maps** -> FOR fits, because supporters describe Question 3 as that response. [5][6]
- **Having fixed map rules that people can enforce in state court** -> AGAINST fits, because a FOR vote removes the state's constitutional rules for congressional maps and adds none. [3]
- **Faster final rulings on map lawsuits** -> FOR fits, because lawmakers could send challenges straight to the state's highest court. [3]
- **Representation for voters in the minority party** -> AGAINST fits, because the amendment could allow a map that favors one party. [3]

## Who supports and who opposes
**Support:** Gov. Wes Moore [8]; Fight Back Maryland [4][7]; Sens. Clarence Lam and Shelly Hettleman [5]; Reps. Glenn Ivey and Steny Hoyer [6]; House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who appear in a Question 3 ad [6]; and labor unions and nonprofits that the source does not name [5]. Senate President Bill Ferguson praised the court ruling but has mostly stayed out of the campaign. [4][6]

**Oppose:** Protect Maryland Votes [7]; Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey Jr. [4]; Sen. Bryan Simonaire [8]; and the Maryland Freedom Caucus, which sued over the ballot question. [4]

**How it got here:** The General Assembly passed it along party lines in an August special session. [4] The Governor signed it as Chapter 881. [1]

## What we could not verify
- The full text of Chapter 881 and the state's summary PDFs: our tool could not read them.
- The Supreme Court of Maryland's full written opinions: Not found in sources checked. We relied on news coverage of its Sept. 3 order.
- League of Women Voters/Vote411 and Ballotpedia positions or summaries: Not found in sources checked.
- What any future map would look like: no map has been proposed with this question. [6]

## Confidence
Medium: Official state pages confirm the ballot wording and the bill's history, but most details about arguments and supporters come from a single outlet, Maryland Matters.

## Sources
[1] HB 2100 (2026) Legislation Details - Maryland General Assembly - https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb2100?ys=2026RS
[2] Ballot Questions for the November 3, 2026 Election - Maryland State Board of Elections - https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/ballot_questions.html
[3] Question 3: Electoral Districts – General Assembly and congressional representatives (Voter Guide) - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/voter-guides/ballot-measures/question-3-electoral-districts-general-assembly-and-congressional-representatives/
[4] Maryland Supreme Court says redistricting ballot question can go to voters - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/09/03/maryland-supreme-court-redistricting-constitutional-amendment-ruling/
[5] Democrats, unions, advocates push for support on Question 3 on redistricting - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/09/25/democrats-unions-advocates-push-for-support-on-question-3-on-redistricting/
[6] (Most) Democrats at Question 3 rally, Harbeson heads out, more in political notes - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/10/27/most-democrats-at-question-3-rally-harbeson-heads-out-more-in-political-notes/
[7] Poll finds opposition to Maryland redistricting ballot question - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/09/22/poll-finds-opposition-to-maryland-redistricting-ballot-question/
[8] Moore confident Marylanders will check 'yes' on redistricting ballot question - Maryland Matters (Capital News Service) - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/09/18/moore-convinced-marylanders-will-check-yes-on-redistricting-ballot-question/