06/27/2021
Dear Friends,
As you are aware, redistricting is upon us. By law, Congressional and Legislative maps are redrawn every ten years to coincide with the U.S. Census.
To give you a brief history lesson Maryland has eight congressional seats in the U.S. Congress. Before the 2000 Census, Maryland was equally represented by 4 – Democrats and 4 – Republicans.
After the Democrats redrew district maps in 2000, the balance in the Maryland Congressional Delegation swung to 6 – Democrats and 2 –Republicans.
After the 2010 redraw of the state, Maryland is now represented by 7 – Democratic Congressmen. Thus leaving Andy Harris as the sole Republican representative for our entire state in Congress. Yet, we elected Republican Larry Hogan as Governor. (twice)
So did Maryland become more Democratic, or did Democrats just get really good at drawing district lines giving themselves a political advantage?
The fact is that the current map is widely recognized as one of the most gerrymandered in the entire nation.
The next Congressional and Legislative Redistricting has the potential to bring some fairness back to our elections in Maryland, but we need your voice to be heard!
The Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission is holding a series of meetings and hearings to give you the opportunity to testify and make your voice heard. The meeting for our Southern Maryland region is scheduled for tomorrow, June 23rd, at 6 pm and will be held virtually.
I will be attending and providing testimony at this meeting to ensure that the conservative voice is heard. I encourage you to participate as well- we need a unified effort to bring some political balance back to our state.
HOW TO JOIN THE MEETING OR SUBMIT TESTIMONY IN ADVANCE OF OR DURING THE VIRTUAL MEETING: To register for the meeting or sign up to give live testimony from your computer, tablet, or smartphone, click here https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T8cMGZNYQn-DEeB6uTll3Q?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= To watch the meeting without registering, click here https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T8cMGZNYQn-DEeB6uTll3Q?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=. You can also dial in by calling (301) 715-8592 and entering the webinar ID 994 6627 0105. You can also submit your comments electronically or send a redistricting question to [email protected].
Additional information on the process and procedures for the virtual meeting can be found here. For a copy of the agenda, which includes links to register to provide testimony and to watch on YouTube without registering, click here.
Warm regards,
Delegate Matt Morgan
