Maryland redistricting is backed by public comments. Written testimonies tell a different story.

Public speakers at Maryland’s final redistricting hearing overwhelmingly backed Democratic efforts to redraw the state’s congressional map, but written testimony submitted to the state tells a sharply different story.

Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting commission held its last virtual public listening session Friday, where Maryland voters repeatedly supported Democrats’ efforts to eliminate Maryland’s lone Republican congressional seat. Yet records obtained by The Baltimore Sun show written comments opposing redistricting far outnumbered those in support.

A senior Senate staffer said a tally of written testimony collected by the Maryland Department of Planning across four public sessions showed 124 people opposed redistricting, compared with just 31 who supported it.

The Sun also asked Moore’s office whether the outcome in Indiana could stymy his efforts in Maryland, given that it could fuel already-staunch opposition from anti-redistricting Democrats and Republicans. Moore’s office said, “No, it does not.”

The split was on display Friday. While most speakers voiced support for redrawing the map, one attendee warned against escalating a national partisan fight. Nathan Davies, a Salisbury University student representing the Maryland Federation of College Republicans, pointed to Indiana, where a GOP-led legislature recently rejected a proposal urged by President Donald Trump to eliminate the state’s Democratic congressional seats.

“(This is) not about fair maps. It’s about enough representation,” Davies said. “Even a red state with full Republican control refused to carry on the battle.”

The Sun sat through the first hour of remarks that featured comments from activists, local leaders and a member of the House of Delegates. Maryland Department of Planning Deputy Secretary Kristin Fleckenstein said more than 90 Marylanders requested to speak at the meeting.

Commission members, Senate President Bill Ferguson, Del. C.T. Wilson, former Attorney General Brian Frosh and Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss — were present at Friday’s meeting. U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, who chairs the commission, was not present.

During Friday’s meeting, Democrat after Democrat took the floor to voice their support for redrawing Maryland’s congressional maps.

“I and many of my constituents have a strong share of strong support in redistricting that allows us to fight back against the erosion of our democracy nationwide, but one that also reflects the true realities of our communities,” Democratic Del. Dylan Behler, who represents parts of Anne Arundel County, said.

“I’m reminded through this process of the Maryland 400 and how we got our name ‘The Old Line State.’” Behler continued, referring to 400 soldiers in Maryland who in the 18th century helped the United States win its war against British imperial rule. “We got that name because the Maryland 400 held the line so that General Washington could escape and fight another day in the Revolutionary War. It helped create and preserve a soon-to-be democracy, and I hope that we can continue to live up to our mantra of being the Old Line state and fight to preserve democracy once again.”

Danny Schaible, a Democrat and member of the Hyattsville City Council, said that although he abhors gerrymandering, it’s a necessary evil to counter Republican efforts to give themselves “a structural advantage” in the 2026 midterm elections.

“Doing nothing will … be read as weakness,” Schaible said. “Fighting back will energize the electorate and discourage future GOP power grabs. The calculus is as simple as the decision should be for the Maryland General Assembly.”

Now that public commentary on the redistricting fight has concluded, the next step is for the commission to host another public meeting where it will vote on whether Maryland should take up redistricting and notify the General Assembly of its recommendation. Thereafter, leaders of the Senate and House will decide what legislative actions to take on the issue, taking into account the commission’s recommendations.

Neither Moore nor Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have said when the General Assembly will take up redistricting legislation. However, multiple Democrats told The Sun that Democrats won’t discuss redistricting on Tuesday, when the Assembly will meet for a special session to elect the speaker of the House and consider veto overrides.

At a Thursday event, The Sun asked Moore about the status of his redistricting conversations with Ferguson, who has publicly refused to support redrawing Maryland’s congressional maps. Moore said he met with Ferguson, declined to disclose what either of them said to the other and added that the redistricting fight “is not just about a singular person.”

“My job is not to convince (Ferguson),” Moore said. “A body has to vote on this. The Senate has to vote on this. The house is going to vote on this. We have dozens of members of both the Senate and also the House who are going to have their voices heard in this.”

“And so my only ask right now is that we want to make sure that the commission is doing their job, that the commission will come back with their recommendations,” Moore continued. “Then it will be Senate President Ferguson, as well as other members of the Senate as well as the House, who will then have a say.”