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Delegation flags redistricting bills and a 2032 ballot question proposed after NAACP request
Summary
Delegation members discussed two redistricting bills, including one by Delegate Long and a proposal from the Chair to put a choice on the 2032 ballot about switching council elections to at-large/district formats; the Chair said the NAACP and other constituents requested the ballot question and she will present the proposal to the county council and school board in coming weeks.
The delegation reviewed two redistricting-related measures affecting Cecil County. Chair described a bill by Delegate Jeffrey Long that addresses school-board location and a separate proposal from the Chair that would ask voters in roughly 2032 whether to change how council members are elected (a referendum on district versus at-large/district voting).
When asked who requested the ballot-question bill, the Chair said she was approached by the NAACP and other constituents but that she is not taking a position. "I'm trying to not take a position, yay or nay, on how we vote," the Chair said, adding she wants several years of debate before letting voters decide.
Delegates discussed the county's staggered election timing (three council members elected in one cycle, others elected in a different cycle) and historical reasons tied to the move to charter government. Concerns were raised about voting access and partisan tactics; one delegate urged caution, noting similar proposals have been criticized as targeting voting patterns. The Chair said she will present the referendum idea to the county council next week and later to the school board for input.
