Dear Friends,

Congressional redistricting has been in the news and I want to update you about the process. After the Maryland Circuit Court declared the congressional maps written by the Maryland General Assembly (MGA) unconstitutional, the Legislature was sent “back to the drawing board” this past week and redrew the maps. The newly drawn congressional maps, which passed the Maryland General Assembly this week, are contingent on the status of the appeal on the original congressional map passed in December. It is also important to note that the state legislative district maps recently redrawn to reflect the census changes in population are still on appeal and could also be subject to change pending the upcoming court ruling.

The process has been long and complex and I have included a recap below.  

Redrawing Congressional Electoral Maps in Maryland

  • On Wednesday, March 30, 2022 the Circuit Court of Maryland issued an injunction against the congressional redistricting map passed by the Maryland General Assembly in December and mandated the General Assembly develop new congressional redistricting map and that the map meet each of the following criteria:

  •  each district to consist of adjoining territory;
 
  • be compact in form;

  •  be of substantially equal population;

  • and further requires that due regard be given to natural boundaries and the boundaries of political subdivisions.

  • Here is the newly drawn map. 

  • I am pleased that the newly proposed map returned all of the City of Bowie to a single Congressional District 5. The earlier December 2021 version had Bowie split into two congressional districts (Congressional Districts 4 and 5).

  • The entire process will remain in flux as the newly presented maps are contingent on the appeal that was filed by the state to uphold the original congressional map presented in December. 

Upcoming Elections

  • Please Note: On March 15, 2022, the Court of Appeals of Maryland also issued an order postponing the 2022 State primary election from June 28, 2022, to July 19, 2022, extending the deadline for filing certificates of candidacy for the 2022 primary election to April 15, 2022.

  • Please be aware that these election dates are subject to change pending the outcome of the appeal.

State Legislative Redistricting Maps

The Maryland General Assembly enacted new State Senate and House Districts maps on January 27, 2022, which were drawn to reflect the U.S. Census data and changes needed to adjust for population growth. The newly drawn maps, can be viewed here. Legislative District 23 was amended to be a full three delegate member district and will no longer be divided into a District 23A and District 23B. These legislative maps are also on appeal and we expect a decision in the coming days.

The Court can chose to redraw the maps, send the maps back to the Legislature or adopt the map presented by the Governor’s Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission. Clearly we are experiencing great uncertainty about what the legislative boundaries will look like for the upcoming election. I will keep you posted.  

Please reach out to me at any time with your questions or concerns, and as always, it is my privilege to represent you!

Sincerely, 
Geraldine 
Geraldine Valentino-Smith
Delegate, Maryland House of Delegates, District 23A
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