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Moore defends redistricting commission as ‘very transparent’ despite critique from Ferguson, advocates
Gov. Wes Moore, shown testifying before legislative committees on Feb. 27, 2025, says he won't sign off on any changes to his education plan unless he believes in those changes. (The Daily Record/File Photo)
Moore defends redistricting commission as ‘very transparent’ despite critique from Ferguson, advocates
Listen to this articleKey Takeaways:
- Gov. Wes Moore defended the Redistricting Advisory Commission’s vote as transparent and above-board.
- Senate President Bill Ferguson and advocates criticized the unannounced, closed meeting as pre-determined.
- The League of Women Voters of Maryland raised concerns about public input and process transparency.
- The commission plans to release draft maps after Christmas and hold additional public feedback sessions.
Gov. Wes Moore defended the vote his Redistricting Advisory Commission took Thursday evening as “above-board,” countering critiques from one of its members and those in the public who say it lacked full transparency.
“…[N]one of them feel that this was a pre-baked process, or that the work that they have been doing tirelessly for these past weeks listening to the people of Maryland constituted a prebaked process,” Moore, a Democrat, said of the five members of his Redistricting Advisory Commission at an Annapolis news conference Friday.
The governor’s comments run directly counter to statements made by Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, who announced the commission would be affirmatively voting to recommend that Moore move forward in consideration of new congressional maps.
“The meeting is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. – it has not happened, but the outcome is already known,” Ferguson, who sits on the commission, said in a comment issued at 4:56 p.m. Thursday. “Clearly, the Commission’s work was pre-determined from the moment the GRAC was announced.”
Thursday’s meeting where the vote occurred was not announced, nor was it able to be viewed by members of the press or the public.
“Pushing forward a pre-ordained recommendation outside the public eye is irresponsible and lacks transparency,” Ferguson said.
In a news release issued Friday morning, the League of Women Voters of Maryland said it is “disturbed” by the commission’s actions, adding that it “has demonstrated that it is more loyal to a single party’s desire to redistrict than to the people of Maryland.”
“The Commission has not shared future meeting dates or even an outline of a process or tools for people to contribute to the development of meaningful and fair maps,” Nikki Tyree, the executive director of the League of Women Voters of Maryland, said in a statement. “While it seems like small details, it sends a clear message that says the majority party can jam through what it wants while ignoring the citizens.”
Still, Moore said Thursday that he is “very proud” of the work the commission has completed thus far, calling it “the most transparent and above-board redistricting advisory commission inside the entire country.”
U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, who chairs the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission, said after Thursday’s vote that Maryland residents are encouraged to submit their map ideas to grac@maryland.gov through the next two weeks.
The committee will make the maps public after Christmas, she said, and solicit more feedback in two additional public sessions.
‘I don’t listen to party bosses’
In November, Moore tasked the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission with studying Marylanders’ interest in redrawing the state’s congressional districts mid-cycle after President Donald Trump pressured Republican-led states — starting with Texas — to reconfigure their maps to give the GOP an edge during the 2026 midterm elections.
After Texas changed its map with the intention of garnering an additional five seats for Republicans in 2026, California voters approved a new map through a November ballot referendum, giving the Democratic Party five more seats to win next year.
Of Maryland’s eight congressional districts, seven are represented by Democrats; the 1st Congressional District, covering the Eastern Shore, Harford County and part of Baltimore County, is the exception. Both of the state’s U.S. senators are Democrats as well.
Ferguson has been staunchly opposed to redrawing Maryland’s congressional map mid-cycle, in spite of pressure from outside forces.
In mid-December, Politico reported that Ferguson has for months received pressure from both Moore and U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, to allow a vote to attempt to achieve an 8-0 map in Maryland.
Asked Friday if he has “made promises” to national Democrats that Maryland would move a new map forward, Moore said “we haven’t even really had conversations.”
“I don’t listen to party bosses,” he said. “Party bosses don’t determine how I move, and party bosses and national people will not determine how Maryland moves.”
The Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission held four meetings that allowed for public commentary.
According to Ferguson, the “cumulative oral and written testimony received to date demonstrates by a large margin that Marylanders oppose mid-cycle redistricting,” which is reflective of data recently released by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Institute of Politics.
Of 801 adults, including 769 registered voters, polled by the institute between Dec. 2 and Dec. 6, 40% of respondents said they do not like midcycle redistricting and it shouldn’t be done; 21% responded that they “don’t like it” but find it necessary; and 7% said they like it but “it’s the wrong thing to do.”
Only 24% of those polled responded that they like the idea of mid-cycle redistricting and believe that it should be pursued.
“The overwhelming majority do not want a new congressional map,” Ferguson said. “They want their government focused on fostering growth, affordability, and real protections against this lawless federal Administration. The Senate of Maryland remains focused on this important agenda as we continue to try to tackle a $1.4 billion budget shortfall in Maryland’s state budget.”
Moore disagreed Friday, saying he cannot comprehend “how you can suppress Democracy and do it under the blanket of defending Democracy.”
“We know that this is a priority,” the governor said. “That being able to defend our Democracy and have fair and competitive maps, that that is something that is a priority of the people of Maryland, and I’m really thankful that this bipartisan commission has, I think, done not just a good and admirable, but a very transparent job making sure that the people’s voices are heard.”
