The July 21 editorial “Righting a tilted system” commended the successful effort to put on the November ballot the question of whether the congressional districts approved by the Maryland General Assembly should be upheld. My organization is the first to concur that the adopted map is as clear an example of gerrymandering as one will see. However, voting down the map won’t solve the problem.
Until Maryland adopts standards for congressional districts in its Constitution (as there are for legislative districts), the maps can be redrawn again and again with no assurance that they will promote any more fair and effective representation than the one adopted by the General Assembly. Two bills to establish a task force to make recommendations for improving Maryland’s redistricting process languished in a drawer last session. It is our hope that they can be combined into a bipartisan bill that will see the light of day and an affirmative vote in the 2013 session. That is the best way to get us on the track for real redistricting reform.
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