Yuripzy Morgan, Colin Pascal, and Torrey Snow Lead Effort to Stop Partisan Power Grab & Overturn Over 50 Years of Constitutional Precedent
A new bipartisan organization launched today as Maryland lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment to go before voters in November that would clear the way for the most one-sided congressional map in Maryland history.
Protect Maryland Votes is a ballot committee led by attorney and businesswoman Yuripzy Morgan, retired Army Lt. Col. and lifelong Democrat Colin Pascal, and political analyst and former host of the Torrey Snow Program, Torrey Snow. The organization also announced that Doug Mayer will serve as senior advisor.
The General Assembly held a special session this week and passed a ballot amendment that strips out the constitutional protection that struck down Maryland’s gerrymandered congressional map in 2022. If approved by voters in November, the amendment clears the way for a new map that would disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Marylanders.
“Maryland’s Constitution has protected fair elections for over half a century, and Annapolis just erased that protection this week, in a two-day special session most Marylanders didn’t even know was happening,” said Morgan. “That’s not democracy. That’s politicians who don’t like being told no by a court, so they’re rewriting the rules instead.”
“I’ve been a Democrat my whole life. I voted for Barack Obama, twice, and I’m proud of the work Democrats have done to improve the lives of Americans,” said Pascal. “But this isn’t about party. This is about basic fairness and the type of state we want to live in. Republicans were wrong when they gerrymandered states they controlled earlier this year, and it’s just as wrong if Democrats do the same in Maryland. I can’t remain quiet while my party tries to do the same thing I’ve criticized Republicans for doing elsewhere.”
“Every Marylander deserves a real voice in who represents them, no matter their zip code or their party,” said Snow. “This amendment would take that voice away for good, and most people don’t even know Annapolis is trying to put it on their ballot. That’s why we’re here, before a single vote is final.”
Protect Maryland Votes points to Maryland’s own history as proof that a fairer path exists. Governor Larry Hogan spent his tenure in office building an independent, evenly split citizens commission specifically so politicians couldn’t draw their own districts, a process Annapolis rejected in 2021 before losing in court the following year on the exact grounds this amendment would erase.
Maryland’s own Senate President has separately acknowledged the legal risk of redrawing the map outright; this amendment exists to remove that risk rather than answer it.
Protect Maryland Votes plans voter outreach, advertising, and earned media across the state between now and November.
About Protect Maryland Votes
Protect Maryland Votes is a bipartisan organization dedicated to protecting the voice of every Marylander. Redistricting should reflect the will of the people, not guarantee power to whichever party controls Annapolis. When electoral boundaries are drawn to eliminate real competition and ensure one-party rule, voters become disenfranchised and lose their voices. Protect Maryland Votes exists to ensure Marylanders understand what is happening to their representation and why it matters, so politicians and partisan gerrymandering cannot silence Marylanders’ voices.
