As I am writing this article, the breaking news of the day is that Maryland Judge Lynne Battaglia has ruled the new congressional map approved by the General Assembly unconstitutional. Judge Battaglia sent the map back to the General Assembly and ordered lawmakers to come up with a new plan by March 30th (by the time you are reading this we will certainly know more!). It is not yet clear if Attorney General Brian Frosh will appeal the decision on behalf of the state.
Redistricting has already had a huge impact on this election year. The filing deadline for candidates has been pushed back twice and is currently set for April 15th. The primary election has been moved to July 19th, causing major concerns for Boards of Elections across the state. What impact will this new decision have on the election? Only time will tell.
We can be proud that here in Frederick County we experienced a fair, nonpartisan redistricting process for our County Council districts. The Frederick County Charter requires the County Council to stand up a Redistricting Commission every ten years coinciding with the census. The Redistricting Commission must include three members nominated by each of the central committees of the major political parties and two or three members who are unaffiliated and are to be appointed by the County Council. A huge thank you to all of the Commission members for their service.
The Redistricting Commission brought the Council a fair map with very few changes. Two precincts that were previously in District 2 (08-001 and 19-001) are now in District 5. This change brings the population of all five Council Districts within 1.5% of each other. Once the Commission made its final recommendation to the Council, we had the option of making changes to the map or accepting it as recommended. I was proud to join my colleagues in a 7-0 vote to accept the map from the Commission. As we have seen play out in Annapolis and in jurisdictions large and small across the country, it is exceedingly rare for a legislative body to approve a map with no changes.
My colleague, Council Member Jerry Donald, said it best in a Letter to the Editor to the Frederick News Post earlier this year, "Why is this unanimous vote remarkable? Across the country, redistricting commissions produce fair maps, but those maps are then handed to legislatures that redraw them in order to gain political favor…Frederick County is remarkable because we didn’t do any of this. The Council, in a bipartisan, unanimous vote, accepted a fairly drawn map that will be in place for the next three county election cycles, until a future County Council takes up the matter again after the next census."
As we continue to deal with repercussions of redistricting across the state, please consider supporting our local Board of Elections and becoming an Election Judge. With the date changes and possible changes to polling places, the need for help is great. Election Judges are paid for their service on Election Day and for training, and high school students can earn Student Service Learning credits. You can learn more and apply online on the Board of Elections’ website here: frederickcountymd.gov/3227/Be-an-Election-Worker.
Jessica is a current member of the County Council
Read other campaign articles by Jessica Fitzwater
(4/2022) 
