Overview
- Voters approved Question 3 on Tuesday, with projections showing roughly 60% support, which amends Article III of the state constitution to exempt congressional maps from the compactness, contiguity and natural‑boundary standards that apply to legislative districts.
- The amendment does not redraw any lines now; it simply changes the legal framework so the Democratic‑led General Assembly could pass new congressional maps later and could authorize the Maryland Supreme Court to hear challenges directly.
- The campaign drew intense scrutiny over a newly formed Truth for Maryland PAC that sent mailers criticized as deceptive, disclosed a $325,000 donation from a Nebraska nonprofit, and reported large spending on mail and online ads.
- Republicans sued to block the ballot question this summer, two county judges temporarily barred it, and the Maryland Supreme Court in September allowed the revised language to appear on the ballot after ordering edits.
- Maryland’s vote is part of a broader mid‑decade redistricting fight driven by national Republican efforts to redraw maps; courts and voters in several states blocked or rejected those GOP plans, and the amendment now gives Maryland Democrats a possible path to redraw maps before 2028 while federal law and state political limits remain in place.