Community advocates push for fairness as Baltimore County redistricting plan heads toward council vote

By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
kmcneir@afro.com

Redistricting, the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries, has long been a contentious issue in Maryland. In fact, equitable redistricting in Maryland, particularly concerning its impact on Black communities, remains a subject of ongoing debate and legal challenges as various nonprofit and grassroots organizations work to ensure fair representation continues through legislative advocacy and litigation. 

In Baltimore County, where Blacks represent 30 percent of the voting-age population (as of December 2021), a proposed redistricting plan recently caused an uproar. 

The redistricting plan offered the realistic opportunity for Blacks to elect representatives in just one of the County Council’s seven districts, therefore creating six majority-White districts, even though Whites constitute a smaller percentage of the overall population. 

In efforts to develop a more equitable plan, the Baltimore County Council on Dec. 16, 2024, passed a resolution establishing the 2025 Redistricting Commission after voters approved the 2024 ballot question expanding the County Council from seven to nine districts. 

The Redistricting Commission, according to the council’s website, from December through June 9 has held four public hearings, released two draft maps and approved a third map prior to the release of its findings. On June 17, the Commission announced its findings along with recommendations for the County Council as it works to approve the configuration of the nine districts for the 2026 election.

Commission Chairman Eric Rockel in a statement said he was pleased with the efforts of his colleagues. 

“I am very proud of the work we performed to revise the Council districts,” Rockel said. “We took into consideration all the public input and testimony we received while also staying true to our Charter-mandated and legal requirements. I believe the recommendation we are sending to the County Council reflects that.” 

Now, according to the County Charter, the County Council must hold a public hearing on the recommendation of the Commission and adopt a final redistricting plan by Oct  1, 2025. 

Randall Patterson Jr., vice president of the NAACP’s Baltimore County Branch, said he’s anxious to see how the Council will proceed. 

“The NAACP believes there needs to be more minority districts and would like to see more minority representation on the County Council which currently has seven councilmen who are White and one Black – that in a county that is 38 percent Black and 10 percent other minority,” he said. 

“The County Council allowed the voters to speak, and they have asked for an increase in the size of the council from seven to nine members. The NAACP advocated three Black districts, one other minority district and five White-majority districts. However, the redistricting commission recommended two Black, two other minority and five White districts.” 

Patterson added whatever the council ultimately decides, Blacks and other minorities can run for office and win in Baltimore County, even if they’re not the majority in any given district. 

“I disagree with those who say you need a 60 percent or more Black population to secure the election of Blacks or other minorities and other cities in the U.S. have proven otherwise,” Patterson said. 

“Sure, to secure victory requires hard work, and it’s essential to get as many voters out to the polls as possible. But we’ve done that before. However, the issue remains we need as many minority members on the council as possible. The Voting Rights Act concedes that proportionate representation is critical, and the NAACP agrees.” 

Patterson’s colleague, Dr. Tekemia Dorsey, who recently became the president of the Randallstown NAACP Branch, spoke with the AFRO and shared the perspective of her executive committee.

“We firmly support a redistricting plan that strictly complies with the Baltimore County Charter, including the legal requirement that the difference in population between the largest and
smallest councilmanic districts must not exceed 10 percent  of the mean district size,” she said. “This standard is fundamental to achieving the principle of ‘one person, one vote,’ and it ensures that all residents are equitably represented.

“However, compliance with numerical thresholds alone is not sufficient. It is equally important that the redistricting process respects and preserves the integrity of communities,” she continued. “The Charter also instructs that districts should be ‘compact, contiguous . . . and in which due regard is given to current natural, geographic, and community boundaries.’ These criteria are not secondary – they are essential to ensuring districts that are functional, representative and rooted in lived reality.”

Linda Dorsey-Walker, a longtime community activist, issued a statement on behalf of the Westside Coalition, which criticized any plan that fractures the Woodlawn community, and expressed  disappointment with the delay in securing a more equitable redistricting plan. 

“Proponents of the Woodlawn Approach Redistricting Map and a group of concerned citizens from the northwest area, hereafter known as the ‘Westside Map Coalition,’ came out for a press conference in early July to address their concerns about being ignored, and demand justice and answers for the five months of misused county and public time and resources,” she said. 

“After three-and-a-half years of effort to expand the number of County Council districts, we’ve heard that Woodlawn, the area with the highest concentration of African Americans in Baltimore County, will not have a designated council district. That’s unacceptable,” she said, adding that she believes the final map chosen by the Redistricting Commission was not the best choice. 

It remains to be seen whether the County Council will discuss the redistricting plan during its next legislative session on Aug. 4, as it is not listed on the agenda which was posted on the Council’s website.