ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Wes Moore on Tuesday announced the creation of a Redistricting Advisory Commission to consider a mid-election cycle change to Maryland's Congressional maps.
According to Moore, the commission will "organize public hearings, solicit public feedback, and make recommendations to the governor and Maryland General Assembly."
The move comes in response to some Republican State leaders who've already taken legislative steps to increase their slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2026 mid-terms.
Democrats have expressed outrage, claiming the GOP is out of bounds in making such changes outside the nation's 10-year census period.
In response, many Democratic led states like California have vowed to redo their maps to make up the difference.
RELATED: Maryland Delegate proposes redrawing State Congressional maps in response to Trump
Moore's commission will now assess whether Maryland follows their lead. It will be headed up by Senator Angela Alsobrooks.
Other board members include Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson and Speaker Adrienne Jones, or their respective designee.
Last week, Bill Ferguson reportedly wrote to colleagues that stated "the Senate is choosing not to move forward with mid-cycle congressional redistricting."
Jones later responded to that report saying she was open to the idea of mid-cycle redistricting.
“My commitment has been clear from day one—we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” said Gov. Moore. “This commission will ensure the people are heard. I thank those who have raised their hands to lead this process, and I am confident in their ability to gather the views and perspectives of a broad range of voices throughout the state.”
Maryland's maps were last redrawn in December of 2021, but a judge ruled they were overly gerrymandered leading lawmakers to pass a different version in 2022.
As it stands now Maryland only has one Republican Representative in Congress, that being Andy Harris. Some Democratic States, such as in New England, have zero Republican representation.
Maryland House Republicans were quick to criticize the commission, calling it a "charade."
“This Commission is a bogus and rigged effort to keep pushing to gerrymander Maryland—already one of the most gerrymandered states in America—to eliminate all Republican voices from representing our citizens, even from regions where they are the clear majority," said State House Minority Leader Jason Buckel and House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy in a joint statement.
The State's Senate leadership chimed in as well, saying “Instead of restoring integrity to the process, Governor Moore has chosen to rig the system,” said Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey. “This is a partisan power grab disguised as reform, designed to silence dissent and cement one-party rule in Maryland.”
