Maryland2026Active
HB0056
New Rules for Drawing Election Districts in Maryland
Last scannedAug 22, 2026, 4:24 AM
In one sentence
This bill requires each legislative district to contain three single-member delegate districts and creates a Redistricting Convention elected by voters to draw new maps.
What it does
- It changes the rule so that every legislative district must consist of exactly three single-member delegate districts.
- It sets up a 'Legislative and Congressional Redistricting and Apportionment Convention' made of members elected by qualified voters instead of politicians drawing lines directly.
- The convention will have 188 members, with seats assigned to counties based on population but ensuring every county has at least three seats.
- Candidates for the convention must be registered voters who are at least 21 years old and meet specific residency requirements in Maryland and their home county.
- People currently holding elected office or working as lobbyists cannot run for the Redistricting Convention.
- The General Assembly may challenge the legality of a plan certified by the Redistricting Convention.
Who it affects
- Voters who will elect members of the Redistricting Convention
- Members of the House of Delegates and Senate whose districts are redrawn into single-member areas
- Representatives in Congress from Maryland, as their district lines may be changed by the convention
Limits and unknowns
- The bill requires the General Assembly to pass a separate law establishing and governing how the Redistricting Convention operates.
- The official text provided does not specify exactly when plans certified by the convention become final if challenged, as that section was truncated.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Redistricting Convention
- A group of elected members created to draw new boundaries for legislative and congressional districts.
- Single-member district
- An area where one person is elected to represent it, rather than a larger group sharing the seat.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Requiring that each legislative district established for the purpose of electing members of the House of Delegates consist of three single-member delegate districts; requiring the General Assembly to enact a law establishing and governing a Legislative and Congressional Redistricting and Apportionment Convention to establish legislative and congressional districts and establishing certain requirements regarding the Redistricting Convention; establishing the Redistricting Convention; etc.
Official activity
Bill history
- In the House - Hearing 3/16 at 12:00 p.m.