Late last night, @BaltCoGov submitted the map they've been working on in SECRET for the last 2 weeks.

As with its previous map, white majorities & pluralities dominate 6 of 7 districts, despite the county being 48% people of color, inc. 30% Black.

tinyurl.com/mc4ubnm4 The sole difference?

Their lightly redrawn District 2 includes a 40% Black minority.

👉🏽Last we checked, 40% is not a "majority."

BREAKING: @BaltCoGov has refused to interact with the @ACLU_MD on crafting a fair map & has revealed that they’ll be submitting to the judge a secret map that does NOT include two majority-Black districts.

👉🏽In defiance of the court order. They're purposely submitting an unacceptable map, in an attempt to "evade judicial review on timeliness grounds," as @ACLU_MD says in today's filing

Still no word from @BaltCoGov on whether they're drawing us a fair map but our partner orgs @LWVBC_MKTG_361 @NAACP_7032 @indivisibletows @BcpdClub @allies_pa & others are not slowing down the fight for fair representation in BaltCo!

Just the opposite. They're stepping it up. TOMORROW, grassroots groups and citizens from across the county launch #Vote4More, an historic, people-powered initiative to transform the county council forever

vote4more.org

The Democratically-controlled Baltimore County Council says it is considering its "options" as to whether to comply with the Voting Rights Act--or appeal the ruling against its district map.

**Let's be clear about what that means.**

🧵 To appeal, @BaltCoGov would have to argue for an interpretation of the Voting Rights Act that tears at its foundation, advancing the same arguments as the Alabama GOP

⭐️Legal experts tell us there's no other way to do it⭐️

Wait, what?

Baltimore County's response to the @ACLU_MD @NAACPBaltCounty's charges that their district map violates the Voting Right Act is no "rebuttal."

wypr.org/wypr-news/2022… To REBUT is "to refute by evidence or argument"

But as @ACLU_MD's Debbie Jeon says, the county’s legal arguments are "surprisingly weak."

The county's attorney admits his office “does not have...the requisite subject matter expertise to handle this complex legal matter.”

A month ago, @julianejonesjr @Tom_Quirk @CouncilmanIzzy @WadeKach @CathyCouncil6 of the BaltCo Council voted unanimously for a district map that unlawfully dilutes the minority vote.

We warned them that the county would be sued.

🔥That was not an empty threat.🔥

🧵#FairMaps The lawsuit against @BaltCoGov's racist district map, in which 6 of 7 districts are majority white despite the county being 48% people of color, has now been filed.

👉🏾The @ACLU_MD @NAACPBaltCounty are asking the court for an immediate injunction.

aclu-md.org/en/press-relea…