Fair redistricting for Maryland

Thank you for the Aug. 21 editorial “Crooked cartography,” on redistricting in Maryland.

The League of Women Voters of Maryland has no position on where the lines should be drawn. We do have positions on how the lines should be drawn and who should draw them.

We support an independent commission with members appointed jointly by the governor, the General Assembly and the Court of Appeals. The commission should be bipartisan and geographically representative and not include any elected official. The plan would be subjected to approval by the General Assembly.

We support both a process and standards that promote fair and effective representation with maximum opportunity for public scrutiny. Districts should have substantially equal population, geographic contiguity and compactness.

Currently, nearly all the hearings on redistricting are to be held before the public has the chance to see what map or maps are being considered. Without a plan to discuss, it is difficult to give meaningful comments. It would make more sense to have proposals available before the hearings to allow the public to make comments on what is and is not acceptable and why.

Nancy Soreng, Annapolis

The writer is president of the League of Women Voters of Maryland.