This article originally appeared in the Associated Press on February 25, 2023 and was written by Ayanna Alexander.  

 Below is an excerpt including Morgan Drayton’s quote on the benefits of the Maryland Voting Rights Act.

Maryland was not among the states, mostly in the South, that was covered under the provision known as preclearance before the court ended it. But lawmakers there saw it as important because of persistent concerns over how districts for local governing bodies have been drawn, said Morgan Drayton, policy and engagement manager at Common Cause Maryland.

“A lot of our maps here are drawn behind closed doors, and there’s not a lot of input from the public that’s able to be given,” she said. “So this would do a lot to make these processes more transparent.”

To read the full article, click here.