Maryland Lawmakers Will Return in August for a Redistricting Session

Maryland lawmakers are scheduled to return to Annapolis on August 3 for a special session focused on changing the constitutional rules that govern congressional redistricting.

Gov. Wes Moore issued the formal proclamation on July 17, limiting the session to legislation that would clarify that requirements for state legislative districts do not apply to Maryland’s congressional districts.

The proclamation does not approve a new congressional map. It also does not establish that Maryland’s districts for the 2026 general election will change.

What the proclamation authorizes

The governor’s proclamation convenes the Maryland General Assembly in a “special and extraordinary session” beginning August 3, 2026, in Annapolis. Its stated purpose is to pass legislation amending the Maryland Constitution to clarify and reaffirm that provisions governing Maryland’s state legislative districts do not apply to the state’s congressional districts.

The exact amendment language for the August session was not included in the available proclamation or source materials. Details of any proposal—including the standards it would establish and how it would affect future mapmaking—therefore remain unsettled.

The Maryland Register’s publication of the proclamation confirms the August 3 start date, the Annapolis location and the authorized constitutional purpose.

Voters would have to approve any amendment

Under the process described by The Associated Press, a proposed constitutional amendment would first need approval by three-fifths of the House of Delegates and three-fifths of the Senate. Only then could the measure go to voters.

The potential statewide ballot date is November 3, 2026, but that date remains conditional on passage by both chambers and the required ballot-placement process.

If voters approve an amendment, it would change the constitutional framework for future congressional redistricting. Voter approval by itself would not constitute adoption of a new congressional map. Any later mapmaking, legal review or election-administration decisions would remain separate steps.

What this means for the 2026 election

Residents should not assume that the August session will redraw Maryland’s congressional districts or that a new map will be used in the 2026 general election. The available records establish a planned session to consider constitutional language, not a completed map or a final election-calendar ruling.

The practical question for voters is whether lawmakers approve a constitutional amendment and, if they do, what language appears on the ballot. A later amendment could create a legal path for lawmakers to revisit congressional maps in a future election cycle, but any possible effect on a later election—including 2028—should be treated as a future possibility rather than a confirmed schedule or court ruling.

Earlier proposal was broader

The August session should not be confused with House Bill 482, an earlier 2026 proposal. The bill’s first-reader text included broader redistricting provisions, including standards for drawing districts, an independent commission structure, public participation requirements and court-review mechanisms.

The General Assembly’s official record identifies HB 482 as a constitutional bill and lists its first reading on January 23, 2026, followed by a notice of a January 27 hearing. The record does not show that the bill was enacted. HB 482 is evidence of an earlier legislative approach, not proof that lawmakers will consider the same language during the August session.

What residents should watch next

The next consequential documents will be the amendment text introduced for the special session, legislative committee and floor actions, and any final ballot language approved for November. Election officials and courts could also issue later guidance or rulings affecting how an approved amendment is implemented.

For now, the immediate development is the governor’s legal authorization for a narrowly defined session. Maryland’s congressional districts should not be described as changed based solely on the July 17 proclamation or the scheduled August 3 convening.

Sources

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