Overview

• Advocates rallied in Towson urging immediate public release of revised council maps after organizers said amendments would appear only hours before the Sept. 9 hearing.
• Council Chair Mike Ertel said the map remains a work in progress and pledged to release any proposed changes before Tuesday’s work session.
• The council’s nine-district proposal creates two majority-Black districts in the west and none in the east, drawing accusations of packing Black voters and diluting influence elsewhere.
• The ACLU of Maryland sent a letter stating it is authorized to sue and intends to promptly file a challenge if the council enacts the current plan.
• A commission that met for months recommended a map with two majority-Black western districts and two additional minority-composite districts, including one in the east, as the council heads toward a Sept. 15 vote and an Oct. 1 adoption deadline.