Time for Maryland to Get Rid of 'Broken-Winged Pterodactyl' Electoral Districts

FOR THE first time in years, Maryland has a real opportunity to shed its grotesquely gerrymandered electoral districts, for both Congress and the state legislature, and replace them with maps drawn by an independent commission whose purpose would be to elevate the interests of voters over those of insider politicians. Incumbent Democrats, who rule the roost in the status quo, are threatening to block just such a change, in the form of a constitutional amendment proposed Tuesday by Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. They would be foolish to do so.

It’s not hard to make the case for redistricting reform in Maryland, where Democrats enjoy a 2-to-1 advantage in voter registration but a 7-to-1 advantage in the state’s eight-member congressional delegation. Unsurprisingly, Democratic incumbents are happy with this arrangement; Republicans, to say nothing of anyone who values genuine democratic competition, fair elections and a robust two-party system, correctly see a rigged system.

Mr. Hogan has said Maryland’s electoral maps, variously likened to a “blood spatter from a crime scene,” a “broken-winged pterodactyl” and a praying mantis, are an embarrassment to the state. His answer was to establish a commission to propose an overhaul to the current system, which it did in the fall.

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