由特朗普总统发起的十年中期选区重划目前大体上已经完成，马里兰州除外。今年11月，全州选民将对“第三号提案”（Question Three）投下赞成票或反对票，这是一项为进一步的不公正划分选区（gerrymandering）铺平道路的宪法修正案。该提案的措辞让人很难理解其真实意图，但它旨在取消关于国会选区必须紧凑、相连且尊重地理特征的任何要求。
The mid-decade redistricting initiated by President Trump is mostly finished for the moment, except in Maryland. In November, voters across the state will be asked to support or oppose Question Three, a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for additional gerrymandering. The phrasing of the question makes it difficult to understand its intended purpose, but it seeks to remove any requirement that congressional districts be compact, contiguous and respectful of geographic features.
这意味着位于马里兰州西部的坎伯兰（Cumberland）与位于东海岸的索尔兹伯里（Salisbury）——被切萨皮克湾和几乎整个州宽度的距离隔开——有朝一日可能会由同一位国会议员代表。马里兰州最终可能会出现波点状的选区，即遥远城市和乡村县份的居民区通过狭窄的细长地带连接在一起，以制造出有利的选民构成。
This means that Cumberland in Western Maryland and Salisbury on the Eastern Shore — separated by the Chesapeake Bay and nearly the entire width of the state — could one day end up represented by the same member of Congress. Maryland could end up with polka-dot districts, where neighborhoods in distant cities and rural counties are joined together with narrow tendrils to create a favorable mix of voters.
马里兰州的民主党选民正被州长韦斯·摩尔（Wes Moore，民主党人）及其在立法机构的盟友告知，赞成“第三号提案”是回击特朗普总统的一种方式。然而，他们的论点被一个现实所削弱：多年来，民主党人一直试图通过不公正划分选区来消灭马里兰州最后一个由共和党把持的选区，其中包括早在2022年特朗普已经离任、乔·拜登担任总统的时候。
Democratic voters in Maryland are being told by Gov. Wes Moore (D) and his allies in the legislature that a vote in favor of Question Three is a way to fight back against President Trump. Their argument is undermined, however, by the reality that Democrats have been trying to gerrymander Maryland’s last Republican held district out of existence for many years, including as recently as 2022 when Trump was out of office and Joe Biden was president.
马里兰州的民主党人被提供了一个虚假的抉择。要对抗特朗普，完全没有必要在马里兰州不公正地划分选区。尽管马里兰州民被灌输了怎样的观念，但采用我们所厌恶的策略只会让我们的政治变得更糟，而不是更好。民主党人有望在11月夺回对众议院的控制权，并且在不久前似乎还遥不可及的参议院竞选中表现良好。11月选举后国会由民主党控制的局面，根本不依赖于马里兰州的不公正选区划分。
Maryland Democrats are being offered a false choice. It is simply not necessary to gerrymander Maryland to oppose Trump. Despite what Marylanders are being told, adopting tactics we abhor makes our politics worse instead of better. Democrats are on track to retake control of the House in November and are competing well in Senate races that seemed out of reach until recently. The Democratic control of Congress after November’s election does not at all depend on Maryland gerrymandering.
民主党最早可能在2028年大选中启用新的选区划分方案。这些新方案将使共和党难以保住第一国会选区。马里兰州很可能向众议院派出八名民主党议员，而没有任何共和党议员。
The earliest Democrats could enact new maps would be for the 2028 election. These new maps would make it difficult for Republicans to hold the 1st Congressional District. Maryland would probably send eight Democrats to the House and no Republicans.
这一经过操纵的选区划分结果将为民主党在国会中多赢得一个席位。马里兰州全由民主党人组成的代表团将于2029年1月3日宣誓就职，此时距离特朗普总统离任仅17天，且是在民主党很可能掌控众议院两年之后。尽管摩尔等人声称情况并非如此，但为了让民主党能够对抗总统，马里兰州并无必要再次进行一轮有利于民主党的选区操纵。
This gerrymandered result would net Democrats one extra seat in Congress. Maryland’s all-Democratic delegation would be sworn in on Jan. 3, 2029, just 17 days before President Trump leaves office and two years after Democrats likely take control of the House. Despite Moore’s assurances to the contrary, it is not necessary for Maryland to undertake another round of gerrymandering for Democrats to stand up to the president.
马里兰州民众或许会认为选区操纵的潮流正在加剧，但有一些令人鼓舞的迹象表明，最糟糕的局面已经过去，更合理的做法终将占据上风。
Marylanders could be forgiven for believing the tide is running in favor of gerrymandering, but there are encouraging signs that the worst is over, and a better approach can prevail.
民主党人、共和党州参议院临时议长罗德里克·布雷（Rodric Bray）及其20名共和党同事违抗了特朗普总统的意志，拒绝支持有利于共和党的选区操纵。布雷等人深知此举将付出沉重的政治代价，但这并未阻止他们做正确的事。最近，最高法院阻止了密苏里州在2026年大选中使用其新制定的、有利于共和党的操纵选区图的企图，维持了2022年划定的选区图，该图是在今年选区重划热潮之前绘制的。
diana, Republican State Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray and 20 of his Republican colleagues defied President Trump and refused to support pro-Republican gerrymandering. Bray and others understood they would pay a heavy political price for their actions, but this didn’t stop them from doing what was right. More recently, the Supreme Court blocked an effort to use Missouri’s new Republican-gerrymandered map in the 2026 election, leaving in place the map from 2022, drawn before this year’s frenzy of redistricting.
尽管其他地方的选区操纵已经十分恶劣，但马里兰州的第三号提案却寻求更为糟糕的结果。与德克萨斯州不同——即便在重划选区后，德州仍会向国会派出一些民主党议员——也与加利福尼亚州不同——加州将在2030年将选区划分权交还给独立委员会——马里兰州的民主党人正试图彻底将共和党人排除在该州的国会代表团之外，并修改州宪法，几乎可以肯定地确保选区操纵在马里兰州长期合法化。
As bad as gerrymandering is elsewhere, Question Three in Maryland seeks an even worse outcome. Unlike Texas, which will still send some Democrats to Congress even after redistricting, or California, which returns power to an independent districting commission in 2030, Democrats in Maryland are seeking to entirely eliminate Republicans from the state’s congressional delegation and change the constitution, almost certainly guaranteeing the legality of gerrymandering in Maryland long into the future.
马里兰州的民主党选民被其领导人告知，对抗“火”的方式是用“火”。事实上，对抗“火”的方式是扑灭火焰。大量马里兰州选民已明白这一道理，根据一项两党联合民调，仅有28%的受访者表示准备支持“第三号提案”。另一项由民主党公司进行、未纳入共和党意见的民调显示，40%的马里兰州人支持该提案，仍远低于通过所需的门槛。
Maryland’s Democratic voters are being told by their leaders that the way to fight fire is with fire. In fact, the way to fight fire is to put out the flame. Large numbers of Maryland voters already understand this, and only 28 percent of them in a bipartisan poll are ready to support Question Three. A second poll by a Democratic firm without Republican input found that 40 percent of Marylanders were in favor of the question, still well below the threshold for passage.
大多数马里兰州人知道选区划分舞弊是错误的，两项民调均显示，多数选民不愿效仿其他州的不良行为、接受选区划分舞弊。马里兰州人在11月有机会扭转美国政治中最恶劣伎俩之一的势头。这将产生全国性影响。否决“第三号提案”将发出强有力信号：并非所有美国人都准备屈服于愤世嫉俗、传播政治文化中最糟糕的部分。
Most Marylanders know that gerrymandering is wrong, and both polls show a majority of voters aren’t ready to emulate the bad behavior of other states and embrace gerrymandering. Marylanders have a chance in November to turn the tide against one of the worst tactics in American politics. This would have national implications. Rejecting Question Three would send a powerful signal that not every American is ready to succumb to cynicism and propagate the worst parts of our political culture.
经过一年的十年中期重新划分选区，鲜有州能在该问题上占据道德制高点。否决“第三号提案”将使马里兰州与众不同。一个压倒性支持民主党的州，在其民主党领导人试图通过选区划分舞弊抹杀马里兰州最后一个共和党国会席位时予以反制，这将是非同寻常的发展。在保全荣誉后，马里兰州随即可帮助推动国家走向更具代表性、更富成效的政治版本。
After a year of mid-decade redistricting, few states can command the moral high ground on the issue. By rejecting Question Three, Maryland would be different. An overwhelmingly Democratic state that pushed back against its Democratic leaders as they tried to gerrymander Maryland’s last Republican congressional seat out of existence would be an extraordinary development. With its honor intact, Maryland can then help push the nation toward a more representative and productive version of politics.
科林·帕斯卡尔是退役陆军中校、资深民主党人，也是非党派组织“保护马里兰州选票”的创始成员，该组织反对选区划分舞弊和“第三号提案”。
Colin Pascal is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, aed Democrat and a founding member of the nonpartisan group Protect Maryland Votes, an organization opposed to gerrymandering and Question Three.