Amended bill creates two Black-majority districts and one majority-minority district on the west side

The Baltimore County Council on Monday night voted 5 to 2 to approve a redistricting map that gives Maryland’s third-largest county more opportunity to represent its diverse population, with two Black-majority districts and one majority-minority district hugging the county’s west side.

The three new majority-minority districts replace the lone Black-majority district that has been in place for 20 years. One new district includes a Black voting population of 57%, and the other of 56%. The third, known as a BIPOC district, includes 44% Black voters but enough Latino and Asian voters to make it a majority-minority district.

It also makes some requested tweaks, including reuniting the Reisterstown community around Main Street instead of splitting it up and moving some precincts around in the north and western parts of the district. That version is not yet available as one entire map because it was just voted on Monday.The councilmen who voted for the map believe it satisfies the Voting Rights Act and will protect the county from a possible challenge from civil rights groups, who filed a lawsuit several years ago during a similar redistricting effort.

Read full article: Baltimore County Council approves redistricting maps – The Baltimore Banner