Maryland Convenes Special Session to Advance 2028 Redistricting Constitutional Amendment
In a direct response to a series of federal court rulings that have weakened the federal Voting Rights Act and favored Republican mid-decade redistricting maps across the South, Maryland's Democratic legislative leaders have officially announced a special legislative session scheduled for August 3–5, 2026. Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk announced that the General Assembly will convene to vote on a state constitutional amendment designed to codify the legislature's power to make partisan, mid-decade changes to the state's congressional map1.2
If approved by a three-fifths majority in both chambers during the special session, the amendment will be placed on the November 2026 ballot for voter approval. This move represents a strategic, long-term pivot by state Democrats to secure a clear legal pathway for redrawing congressional lines in time for the 2028 election cycle. The decision to pursue a constitutional amendment follows months of internal debate and a previous clash between Governor Wes Moore (who pushed for immediate 2026 redistricting) and Senate President Ferguson (who cautioned that immediate maps could violate the state constitution and face state Supreme Court reversals).
-
An instance of A partisan mid-decade redistricting push cannot succeed without bypass-ready state-level constitutional amendments. — Maryland Democrats convened a special session to pass a constitutional amendment explicitly authorizing mid-decade redistricting before launching new congressional boundaries. ↩︎
-
An instance of A state cannot execute a partisan mid-decade redistricting plan without establishing an explicit state constitutional mandate. — Maryland legislative leaders are pushing a state constitutional amendment to bypass barriers and authorize midcycle congressional line-drawing. ↩︎