Question 3 passed statewide, but it did not draw a single new line. Here is what it changes, what it doesn't, and who is working for District 1.
On Tuesday, Maryland voters approved Question 3, a change to the state constitution about how congressional districts get drawn. Statewide it won about 60 percent of the vote. On the Eastern Shore, it lost in all nine counties.
That might sound like a fight over lines on a map. It's not. It's about a simple question: who is actually working for the people of District 1 in Washington? Many people here are outnumbered at the ballot box, and many more vote by party label instead of by results. This Dispatch looks at both.
FIRST: WHAT IS REDISTRICTING, AND WHAT DID QUESTION 3 CHANGE?
Every ten years, states redraw the lines for their U.S. House districts so each one has about the same number of people. Who draws those lines shapes who wins.
Maryland's constitution says state legislative districts must be made of adjoining territory, be compact, and respect natural boundaries and county lines. Before this vote, it was unclear whether those rules also covered congressional maps. Question 3 says they apply only to state legislative districts. It also lets the General Assembly give the Supreme Court of Maryland the power to review a congressional map directly. It does not include a map.
WHAT HAPPENED
The Associated Press called Question 3 for "yes" on Election Night, Nov. 3. Unofficial returns show about 60 percent of voters in favor statewide. All nine Eastern Shore counties voted no, and in Caroline and Queen Anne's counties the no vote was better than 2 to 1. Capital News Service reports that about 60 percent of Shore voters opposed it. Here in Queen Anne's County, about 68 percent voted no, according to unofficial results from the Maryland State Board of Elections.
In the same election, Republican Rep. Andy Harris won a ninth term in the 1st District, about 56 percent to 44 percent over Democrat Dan Schwartz, per unofficial results. Schwartz led in Talbot and Wicomico counties. In Queen Anne's County, Harris led by about 61 percent to 39 percent, per unofficial results. Schwartz opposed Question 3, breaking with his own party on it.
Here is who is registered. Maryland Board of Elections numbers from September 2026 show Queen Anne's County has 20,824 Republicans, 11,190 Democrats, and 9,596 unaffiliated voters. That is about 2 Republicans for every Democrat. Caroline and Cecil counties look much the same. Across all nine Shore counties the gap is smaller, about 1.4 to 1, and Wicomico County has more Democrats than Republicans.
Question 3 almost didn't make it to voters. Republicans sued to keep it off the ballot, and the Maryland Supreme Court allowed the vote to go forward.
Nationally, CBS News projects Democrats won control of the House, and CBS and Roll Call both report that Republican mid-decade redraws in states like Texas and Florida did not stop GOP losses. These are preliminary results.
WHAT SUPPORTERS OF QUESTION 3 SAY
Gov. Wes Moore said, "I am proud that the people of Maryland used their power to push back by approving Question 3." He has also said he still hates partisan gerrymandering, but that Maryland should be part of the conversation when other states redraw their maps. Former President Barack Obama urged a yes vote in a late campaign ad.
Supporters point to Republican-led mid-decade redraws elsewhere and say Maryland would be giving up leverage if it stayed on the sidelines. Moore also stressed that no map is attached to Question 3.
WHAT CRITICS SAY
Rep. Harris opposed Question 3. He argued that a redrawn district would join Eastern Shore communities with areas that have different interests and weaken the Shore's voice in Congress.
Dan Schwartz, who could benefit from a redraw, opposed it too, breaking with his own party. He said Democrats should win votes by earning them, not by choosing which voters are in the district. He also said people on the Shore told him they did not want this.
Here is what GTC sees in the record. Rep. Harris voted against the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. Capital News Service reported that the law brought Maryland nearly $8 billion, including $238 million for Chesapeake Bay restoration. In July 2025, Harris voted yes on the budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which passed 218 to 214. The Maryland Department of Health projects that about 175,000 Marylanders will lose health coverage because of it. Voters can decide for themselves what those votes mean for their families. But when people keep voting the party line no matter what the votes are, nothing changes.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW YET
Will lawmakers pass a new congressional map? Reporting says a new map for the 2028 election is possible but not assured. The legislature returns to Annapolis in January. Moore has said he is ready to engage lawmakers, but has not given a timeline, and House and Senate leaders have not committed to a new map.
If a map is drawn, how would the Eastern Shore be divided? And would it face a court challenge? Question 3 lets the General Assembly send review of the map straight to the Supreme Court of Maryland.
Watch the 2027 session, the budget fight that will compete with it, and what your own state senator and delegates say.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Mark your calendar for the 2027 General Assembly session in January. Look up your state senator and delegates at mgaleg.maryland.gov and tell them what you think about any new map.
- Check that your voter registration is current at voterservices.elections.maryland.gov, and help one neighbor do the same.
- Join a Good Trouble Circle Up hub near you and bring a friend. Redistricting fights are decided by who shows up between elections, too.
Want to see the official results yourself?
See Official Maryland Election Results