McGuffin: Legislature’s Redistricting Plan Does Right by Ellicott City — In More Ways Than One

In the legislative redistricting challenges, Fair Maps Maryland and Republican petitioners seem obsessed, insisting that all districts are drawn to be, primarily, compact. However, compactness is not the main goal of legislative redistricting. Article III, Section 4 of the Maryland Constitution instructs that, “Due regard shall be given to natural boundaries and the boundaries of political subdivisions.”