Alternative Districts: Maryland State House of Delegates
Below you'll find my alternative to the Maryland State House of Delegates district map. This chamber consists of multi-member districts, some of which are split among 2 or 3 sub-districts. These districts are nested within senate districts. As with all of my maps, certain criteria are considered including: compactness, coalescing communities of interest including large minority voting blocs, and respecting political boundaries. Recreating the actual map using Dave’s Redistricting App was not practical since too many districts couldn’t be drawn to match exactly, which caused discrepancies that had significant effects on district demographics. The presentation will resemble the previous diary, in which the districts in the regional breakdown will simply include counties, or parts of counties in each district, followed by the district’s Partisan Voting Index. The district numbering keeps to the previous numbering as closely as possible.
Western
1A. Allegany (part), Garrett; R+31; [Blue]
1B. Allegany (part); R+19; [Sandy Brown]
1C. Allegany (part), Washington (part); R+23; [Indian Red]
2A. Washington (part); R+16; [Green]
2B. Washington (part); D+3; [Powder Blue]
3A. Frederick (part); D+13; [Dark Magenta]
3B. Frederick (part); R+2; [Saddle Brown]
Notes:
2B is essntially the city of Hagerstown
3A is essntially the city of Frederick
Baltimore Area
9A. Carroll (part), Howard (part); R+11; [Cyan]
9B. Howard (part); D+8; [Olive Drab]
30A. Anne Arundel (part) D+19; [Light Coral]
30B. Anne Arundel (part); R+4; [Dark Magenta]
31A. Anne Arundel (part), Baltimore (part); Even; [Khaki]
31B. Anne Arundel (part); R+14 [Red]
34A. Harford (part); D+5; [Lime Green]
34B. Harford (part); R+13; [Gold]
42A. Baltimore (part); D+7; [Lawn Green]
42B. Baltimore (part); D+10; [Cornflower Blue]
44A. Baltimore (part); D+41; Medium Violet Red
44B. Baltimore (part); D+14; [Deep Pink]
Notes:
30A is plurality White and has a large Black voting bloc at 35% VAP
44A is mostly Black
44B has a significant Black voting bloc at 27% VAP
D.C. Area
23A. Prince George's (part); D+27; [Aquamarine]
23B. Prince George's (part); D+39; [Dark Slate Gray]
27A. Anne Arundel (part); R+9; [Spring Green]
27B. Calvert (part); R+9; [Peach Puff]
27C. Calvert (part); R+6; [Rosy Brown]
29A. Charles (part), St. Mary's (part); R+14 [Dark Sea Green]
29B. St. Mary's (part); R+1; [Blue]
29C. St. Mary's (part); R+16; [Green]
47A. Prince George's (part); D+41; [Thistle]
47B. Prince George's (part); D+42; [Chartreuse]
Notes:
Districts 23 A and B are mostly Black
District 47A is plurality Black with a large Hispanic VAP at 34%
Districts 47B is mostly Hispanic
Eastern Shore
35A. Cecil (part); R+16; [Dark Orchid]
35B. Harford (part); R+25; [Teal]
37A. Wicomico (part); D+14; [Dodger Blue]
37B. Dorchester, Talbot, Wicomico (part); R+9; [Dark Gray]
38A. Somerset, Worcester (part); R+4; [Medium Aquamarine]
38B. Wicomico (part); R+13; [Slate Blue]
38C. Wicomico (part); Worcester (part); R+18; [Cyan]
Notes:
37A, though changed, still has a significant enough Black VAP at 37%
My version of the Maryland State House of Delegates district map improves cohesion of communities of interest while also respecting geographical and political boundaries. This is why the districts appear compact, but more importantly why the overall map is improved. Of course, due to districts nesting, the amount of variations with the districts is reduced, which is why many districts are similar compared to the actual version. Democrats enjoy their super-majority status in this chamber, partly due to having drawn the actual map, but also because Maryland is favorable towards Democrats. This is due to the large Black voting bloc in Baltimore and in Prince George’s County, as well as heavily Democratic leaning and densely populated suburban areas like Montgomery County.
Thanks for reading!
The maps were created using Dave’s Redistricting App: gardow.com/…
The charts and data were assembled using spreadsheets via Stephen Wolf’s guide: www.dailykos.com/…
The Statistical Atlas was used to match the district numbering: statisticalatlas.com/…
Google Images aided in determining the regional breakdown
Link to Maryland Senate Map
Alternative Districts: Maryland State Senate
Links to the West Virginia Maps
Alternative Districts: West Virginia State Senate
Alternative Districts: West Virginia State House of Delegates