Maryland residents who want to give redistricting testimony have a narrow window to sign up, and it closes Friday.
The General Assembly is holding a special session Aug. 3-5 to consider a bill that would ask voters this November whether to change the legal standard for drawing Maryland’s congressional districts. It is not a new congressional map. The bill would let voters decide whether a requirement that districts be “compact and contiguous” applies only to state legislative districts, not congressional ones.
If approved, the state’s congressional map would then go to the Maryland Supreme Court for review. Any resulting changes could not take effect before the 2028 election.
How to sign up to testify
Lawmakers will hold a joint House and Senate election committee hearing at noon Monday, Aug. 3, in Annapolis. Only 50 people total will be allowed to testify, in person or virtually, and each speaker gets two minutes.
To sign up, residents need to create a “MyMGA” account on the General Assembly’s website and register between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Friday, July 31. Anyone can also submit written testimony regardless of whether they’re selected to speak. Committee chairs will choose which speakers get time at the microphone if signups exceed a 50-person limit.
Why it matters for Montgomery County
Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Jamie Raskin, sits entirely within Montgomery County covering areas including Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac and Takoma Park. Raskin has publicly pushed state Democrats to revive the redistricting effort, making Montgomery County’s own representative an active voice in the debate.
The push is part of a broader national fight over redistricting. President Donald Trump has called on Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms, and some Maryland Democrats see this measure as a way to respond. The debate could eventually affect Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, the state’s only Republican-held seat.
