BALTIMORE — Lawmakers are getting ready for the special session next week where the main order of business will be to vote on a new map for congressional redistricting.
We went to work, with our ABC partners at FiveThirtyEight, to understand what the two different proposed maps look like.
These maps are colored on the same scale - from the darkest red being a Republican lean of +25 to a Democratic lean of +70.
An explanation of how FiveThirtyEight calculates partisan lean can be found here.
Where Did These Maps Come From
The Legislative Redistricting Map is the final recommended map drawn up by the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Committee - made up of House and Senate leadership as well as members of both parties.
The vote for the above map was 5-2 with both Republican members of the Committee voting against recommending this map.
The Citizens Redistricting Map is the map that was drawn up and approved by the Governor-backed Maryland Citizen Redistricting Commission.
The Commission was created early this year by Governor Larry Hogan and voted to approve their recommended map in early November.
What Happens Now
The special session begins on December 6 and in addition to some other legislative opportunities - such as overriding any remaining gubernatorial vetoes or introducing new crime legislation - state lawmakers will be voting to redraw the 8 congressional districts in Maryland.
If you would like to sign up to testify for or against either of the two proposed maps on December 6, click here. The sign-up period ends on December 3 at 6pm.
Voting for the General Assembly's House and Senate districts will be left for the 2022 general session, beginning in mid-January.