Maryland will be holding a special legislative session in August to redraw its congressional maps ahead of the 2028 elections, Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk announced Tuesday.

"After recent court decisions weakened the federal Voting Rights Act and created new uncertainty around congressional redistricting, Maryland needs a clear legal path forward," Ferguson said in a statement.

"This special session will allow the General Assembly to do its part while ensuring that Maryland voters make the final decision," Ferguson said.

Maryland has eight congressional districts, with all but one held by a Democrat in the overwhelmingly blue state.

At the session, legislators will vote on a state constitutional amendment that would allow them to change the congressional map mid-decade for partisan purposes.

If the measure passes through the Senate and House of Delegates, it would be on the ballot in November.

Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, has supported redrawing the maps to counteract Republican states that redraw their maps to help the GOP retain its slim majority in  the House of Representatives.

Moore said he will "work closely with the General Assembly as they consider legislation to ensure our state has the tools necessary to protect voters and defend fair representation."

"For months, I have said that inaction is not an option and we cannot sit on the sidelines while voting rights, fair representation, and the foundations of our democracy come under attack across the country," Moore said.

"I appreciate the General Assembly’s continued conversations and the agreement to come back to finish the work," Moore added.

Ferguson has been hesitant to pursue redistricting, which cost the state a chance to redraw its maps in time for the 2026 midterm elections, warning the new maps could be overturned by the state Supreme Court.

Ferguson has pointed out that a congressional map adopted in 2021 was ruled unconstitutional by a judge who described it as "a product of extreme partisan gerrymandering."

The Maryland House had previously passed a new congressional map in February, but the measure died in the Senate.