Maryland Gerrymandering
I am here tonight to speak about trust. Trust in our democratic institutions. Trust in our elected officials. And trust in justice. A vibrant and healthy democracy requires that an informed public be actively engaged in the selection of its representatives. Exercising your right to vote is the most fundamental right granted to citizens in a representative democracy. Each Election Day, voters hold their elected officials accountable for their leadership decisions of the previous term and decide whether to return the incumbents to elected office or whether to replace them with new leadership. Accountability can be further advanced only in the context of reasonably apportioned districts. Gerrymandered districts disenfranchise Marylanders and contribute to partisan polarization by removing incentives for candidates to appeal to the wider public. Our gerrymandered congressional districts tend to predetermine the outcome of our General Elections, turning our Primary E...