Maryland lawmakers open special session on congressional redistricting rules
Maryland’s General Assembly opened a special session Aug. 3 to consider legal standards for drawing the state’s eight congressional districts in a future election cycle.
Gov. Wes Moore formally called the session through Executive Order 01.01.2026.14. The session is scheduled to run from Aug. 3 through Aug. 5, according to the Maryland State Archives.
The legislative action is at the consideration stage, not the completion of a congressional map redraw. Available pre-session reporting did not include precise bill language or a final vote outcome. The final legal approach also remained unresolved: lawmakers could pursue a constitutional amendment, a statute, or both.
Focus is on future map-drawing standards
The session concerns the rules and standards that could govern how Maryland’s congressional districts are drawn. Maryland has eight congressional districts, and the discussion is tied to the 2028 election cycle.
Associated Press reporting described the special session as part of the broader national mid-decade redistricting fight. But the available reporting indicates that a Maryland change approved through this process is expected to apply to 2028, rather than alter the 2026 midterm elections.
That timing distinction is central to the session’s scope. Lawmakers are considering prospective standards for congressional redistricting, not a completed plan for the upcoming midterms. The packet does not establish that Maryland has redrawn its congressional map, and no such conclusion can be drawn from the session’s opening.
Constitutional route would require supermajority and voters
If lawmakers choose a constitutional-amendment route, approval would require a three-fifths vote in both the House of Delegates and the Senate before the measure could be submitted to voters. Voter approval would also be required for a constitutional amendment to take effect.
That requirement describes one potential legal pathway, not a measure that has already passed either chamber. Pre-session reporting did not establish whether the General Assembly would ultimately use a constitutional amendment, legislation, or a combination of approaches.
The Nov. 3, 2026, general election is the next statewide general-election date identified in the available materials. The sources do not establish whether any potential constitutional question would be placed before voters on that date. They do establish that the contemplated congressional-redistricting changes are expected to be directed at the 2028 cycle.
Process criticism raised by Republican lawmakers
Republican lawmakers criticized the process leading into the special session and raised concerns about limited testimony. Those objections are partisan lawmakers’ criticisms of the process; the available material does not establish a final legislative outcome or a final set of hearing procedures.
House Minority Leader Jason Buckel is among the Maryland political figures identified in connection with the session. The approved reporting packet does not provide a specific statement from him, and the record available before the session does not show final action by the General Assembly.
The immediate next step is the remainder of the Aug. 3-5 special session, when lawmakers may determine what mechanism, if any, to advance. Any proposal would need to clear the procedural requirements applicable to the route legislators choose. For a constitutional amendment, that includes the three-fifths votes in both chambers and subsequent voter approval.
For now, the verified development is that Maryland lawmakers have convened under the governor’s order to weigh future congressional-redistricting standards. Whether the session produces a statute, a constitutional proposal, both, or no final change remained unconfirmed in the available pre-session reporting.
Sources
- 2026 Maryland General Assembly Session Information, Maryland State Archives
- Maryland lawmakers to consider steps toward partisan redistricting for 2028, Associated Press
- Moore issues executive order officially calling special session, Maryland Matters