IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON MARYLAND’S LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING

As you may be aware, the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Committee (GRAC) recently released its proposed 2012 Legislative Redistricting map (GRAC map) for Maryland’s 47 legislative districts. The Governor must submit his final map to the legislature by January 11th, the first day of the 2012 legislative session.

A public hearing on the proposed map has been scheduled for Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. at the Department of Legislative Services, 90 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401. If you wish to testify, you may pre-register by 12:00 noon today here, or you may register in person at the hearing. If you wish to submit comments electronically, click here.

About the Map

The GRAC map equalizes natural population variances among the 47 districts, with an “ideal” population of 122,814 residents per district, and within an allowable variance of plus or minus five percent.

Over the last ten years the 19th Legislative District has experienced significant population growth from just over 110,000 in 2000 to just over 116,000 in 2010. The GRAC map adjusts our 2010 population of 116,000 to just over the GRAC ideal population of 122,814 to 123,017. To view the proposed 19th Legislative District map, click here.

While the GRAC map makes some geographic alterations to the current 19th Legislative District, most areas that have historically been located within the district remain in the district, including Kemp Mill, Leisure World, Derwood, Aspen Hill, Four Corners, upper Silver Spring, and unincorporated areas of Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Laytonsville. However, two changes are notable: First, the district’s Olney precincts have been reduced, due to one Olney precinct being redistricted into the neighboring 14th Legislative District to the north and east. If the GRAC map stands, it will be difficult to say goodbye to the more than 4,000 Olney residents who I have worked with and have come to know as friends and neighbors, and have represented for five years in both the House and the Senate. Second, due to major shifts in districts in the north and west, the GRAC map redistricts a large swath of unincorporated Gaithersburg (comprising some 11,000 residents in and around incorporated Washington Grove) from the 39th Legislative District into the 19th Legislative District. This is significant because until this GRAC map the 19th Legislative District has not included any municipalities. If the GRAC map stands as-is, we very much look forward to working closely with our new neighbors in Gaithersburg and Washington Grove.

GRAC Proposal for Comment

The GRAC redistricting commission considered a myriad of issues relating to minority representation. In addition to the GRAC map increasing the number of majority-African American districts from ten to twelve, the map creates Maryland’s first majority-Hispanic sub-district (the new district “District 47B” – Prince George’s County), and GRAC has submitted for public comment the possibility of creating a second majority-Hispanic sub-district along the boundary between the 19th and 18th legislative districts (the proposed “District 18B” – Montgomery County). Comprised of portions of both the 19th and 18th legislative districts, the District 18B proposal would significantly reduce the number of Hispanic residents in the 19th Legislative District.

I hope this information is useful. As always, please continue to share your thoughts with me, and do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.