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Health & Fitness

Congressional Redistricting & College Park

A weekly blog on local politics.

This October, the Maryland legislature will meet in a special session for as little as two days to discuss how to carve up Maryland’s eight congressional seats. Even though Maryland’s congressional boundaries will officially be decided at this special legislative session, the real decisions will have been made long before then. 

The City of College Park has hit the jackpot in terms of congressional representation with Steny Hoyer, the minority whip of the House of Representatives and one of the most powerful elected officials in the country, as our member of Congress.

Having a high profile and well-connected representative is a tremendous benefit for our city and the University of Maryland. With the population shifts that have occurred in our state over the last decade, Maryland’s political map is going to see some significant changes. Furthermore, with an overwhelmingly Democratic state legislature, we can be assured that there will be a serious attempt to change our state’s current 6-2 Democratic congressional delegation majority into a 7-1 majority. 

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Like it or not, across the country both parties use congressional redistricting to help their party gain congressional seats, and it’s hard to believe this won’t also happen in Maryland. Politics has always and probably will always play a role in drawing congressional district boundaries. 

College Park residents should care about redistricting discussions because our city sits on the outer edge of Maryland’s 5th Congressional District, with Adelphi Road serving as a district dividing line currently. With the population shifts in Maryland, the political goals of those with redistricting power, and our location on the boundary between districts, it’s easy to see how the congressional district College Park ends up in for the next decade could be up in the air.

Find out what's happening in College Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With Rep. Hoyer’s influence, if he wants to keep College Park in his district at all costs, it’s a pretty safe bet that will happen. The fact that we host the University of Maryland’s campus makes us a pretty attractive city to hold onto. But considering all of the other factors that will be in play, no one can say for sure exactly what the future holds for College Park.

I recommend all College Park residents pay close attention to redistricting discussions over the coming months and express their thoughts to the 21st delegation as different proposals come to light. I’ve always found our delegation to be extremely open to resident feedback, and I’m sure they would appreciate your thoughts on this crucial issue.

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