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Maryland May Redraw Congressional Maps. Special Session Deadline Is Aug. 4.

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Maryland House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk asked House members on June 16, 2026 to block off two weeks this summer for a possible special session that could reshape how the state draws its congressional districts.

The speaker identified two windows: July 16-22 and July 30-August 5. She expressed a preference for the earlier window and told delegates she does not expect the session to last beyond “a couple of days.” No decision has been made. Peña-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson plan to meet after the primary election to decide whether circumstances warrant convening.

“Since the close of session, recent developments have prompted leadership to evaluate whether additional legislative action may be necessary.”

House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, in a June 16, 2026 letter to House members obtained by Maryland Matters

Two Constitutional Amendments Died in April. They Could Come Back.

The session would take up two proposals that failed when the 2026 General Assembly session ended in April. The first would amend the Maryland Constitution to clarify the rules for drawing congressional districts. The second would create a special election process for filling vacancies in the Maryland House and Senate.

The August 4 cutoff is fixed. For any constitutional amendment to appear on the November 2026 ballot, the legislature must pass it by that date. If voters approve the change in November, the General Assembly could redraw Maryland’s congressional maps as early as the 2027 session, putting new districts in place for the 2028 presidential election cycle.

A 2022 Court Ruling Set This in Motion

The redistricting push stems from a 2022 ruling by Judge Lynne Battaglia, who struck down Maryland’s 2021 congressional map. Battaglia cited Maryland Constitution language requiring districts to be compact, contiguous, and respectful of jurisdictional and geographic boundaries. Before that ruling, courts had largely treated that language as aspirational rather than binding. The constitutional amendment being considered would clarify those standards to remove that legal obstacle.

Senate President Ferguson blocked redistricting during the 2026 session by routing a House-passed bill into the Senate Rules Committee. House leaders then attached redistricting language to a vacancy-filling bill sponsored by Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery). That combined bill also died before session ended.

Ferguson has signaled he is open to revisiting the issue, though he remains cautious. Whether he and Peña-Melnyk reach agreement after the primary will determine whether either window becomes an actual session.

What you can do now

  1. Contact your Maryland House of Delegates member and tell them you support scheduling the special session during the July 16-22 window. Urge them to prioritize the constitutional amendment on redistricting. Find your delegate at msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/msa12104.html.

  2. Contact Senate President Bill Ferguson’s office directly at (410) 841-3700 and ask him to support convening a special session. Ferguson blocked the redistricting bill in April. His support after the primary is the key variable.

  3. Monitor the session schedule. The Maryland General Assembly posts updates at mgaleg.maryland.gov. If a special session is announced, the August 4 constitutional deadline means votes could happen fast, with little public notice.

  4. Contact Speaker Peña-Melnyk’s office at (410) 841-3800 and express support for the July window. The speaker has said she prefers the earlier date, but delegate feedback on scheduling can reinforce that position before the post-primary meeting with Ferguson.

Sources

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