BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Monday night the I's overtook the nays in the Baltimore County Council, meaning members finally approved a final redistricting map.
WATCH: Baltimore County Council adopts a redistricting map
The map creates two majority African American districts and a majority minority district on the west side.
But it didn't pass without pushback from council members Julian Jones and Pat Young.
"These amendments are disrespecting my 122,000 constituents, and it's disrespecting me," Jones said.
Jones pushed an amendment for Woodlawn to get its own district, which the council shot down.
Young called for four minority districts and was also shut down by a council vote.
"I don't think we've gone far enough by recognizing what our county looks like now in 2025," Young said.
Councilman Mike Ertel addressed calls from both members to push back the vote to allow more time for public input.
"There's only so much you can do and create some of this opportunity. So it just feels like no matter what we do, there's no good answer here," Ertel told members of the council.
However, the map doesn't address the demands of some east-side neighbors who called for a majority-minority district on their side of the county.
Community members gathered for a press conference before Monday's council meeting.
One woman, Dr. Tekemia Dorsey, said their voices weren't being heard because there was a breakdown of communication on the council members' part.
"Before we elect anything, there should be a redistricting town hall in Turner Station, in Halethorpe, in Catonsville, in Middle River, in Perry Hall, in Parkville, in Timonium," Dorsey said.
After the vote, another East Side neighbor, Sharonda Dillard-Huffman, says the adopted map is a step in the right direction, but not a complete fix.
"The ACLU, the commission—they've shown it can be done. It's just that they don't want to because they don't want to hear the Black voices or the Brown voices," she said.
She told WMAR 2 News next she'll be talking with the ACLU to see if the map is viable moving forward.
The next deadline is October 1st, when the council has to get the map to election officials to prepare for the 2026 election.
Legal challenges could be filed in court as well.
