As a Democratic-dominated legislature approved Maryland’s new congressional map on Thursday, Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-Montgomery Village) joined Republicans in voting against it.
Acevero, who represents District 39, was the only Democrat to break ranks and vote against a map drawn up by a legislative committee. The unofficial tally was 97-42.
The new map keeps seven congressional districts safely Democratic and the only Maryland district represented by a Republican — Rep. Andy Harris – more competitive for Democrats.
Acevero also voted against a rival plan this week drafted by the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission, whose chairmen were appointed by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. That plan would make the 6th
District, now represented by Rep. David Trone (D-Potomac), more competitive for Republicans.
A vote on that map also failed along party lines.
“For me, this is not about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about right or wrong,” Acevero said in a written statement about his “no” votes. “The process we have today is simply representatives picking representatives, in both Republican and Democratic states.”
“We need an independent redistricting commission devoid of partisan politics, not a handpicked, multi-partisan commission such as the one proposed by Gov. Hogan,” Acevero said in the statement. “Both parties should call on the U.S. Senate to abolish or reform the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act that bans partisan gerrymandering.”
The Freedom to Vote Act is legislation before Congress that would set new criteria for congressional redistricting. It would extend voting rights to people convicted of a crime, if they have not committed a felony.
The measure has stalled in the U.S. Senate because Republicans have blocked it through filibuster, which requires 60 votes to overcome. Democrats have only 50 votes in the U.S. Senate.
Hogan on Thursday vetoed the map drafted by the legislature’s redistricting committee and approved by both the House and the Senate, saying it disenfranchised voters and violates the Voting Rights Act, landmark civil rights legislation, and other federal and state laws.
Hours later, the supermajorities in the General Assembly’s House and Senate easily overrode the governor’s veto.
But Hogan said the fight is not over and promised a legal battle in state and federal courts. He also indicated those battles would be based on the need for more minority representation in Maryland’s congressional delegation.
Hogan said the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission — the panel he created — had four districts in which minorities represented more than 50 percent of population, while the legislature’s map had only three, depriving minority voters in Maryland of political power.
