SALISBURY, Md.- The Wicomico County Council voted to redistrict Wicomico County Tuesday night.
The Wicomico County Branch of the NAACP, along with the Caucus of African American Leaders and the Watchmen with One Voice Ministerial Alliance, filed a lawsuit against Wicomico in December 2023. The plaintiffs argued Wicomico’s current five single-member districts/ two at-large election system, or the “5/2 system”, is racially discriminatory. In their lawsuit, the NAACP noted that neither body has seen a black person elected to an at-large position since the 5/2 system was implemented.
The civil rights groups further argued the election systems for Council and School Board violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and denied black neighbors’ right to fair representation. Plaintiffs cited the disparity in representation on the County Council and School Board despite 42% of Wicomico’s population being Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and over 62% of the public school population being BIPOC.
After the unanimous vote, Council President John Cannon says he wishes the issue was brought to the council for discussion.
"A lot of members who filed the suit never went to a redistricting committee to express their concerns, they never went to a charter review committee to express their concerns, they never came to the council meetings to express their concerns," said Cannon. "The fact that it did cost the citizens $125,000 and I seriously believe with all due respect that it really could have been avoided."
Monica Brooks, President of The NAACP Wicomico County Branch says an issue of this magnitude warranted legal action.
"The easier way is to put it in a lawsuit. The lawsuit preempts discussion. Meaning, the lawsuit opened the opportunity for the county to say, ‘hey, what's up. Let's talk about it.’ But that never happened," said Brooks. "We filed this lawsuit back in December of 2023. So this isn't new. There was lots of time to talk, but it didn't happen."
Brooks says comparable civil lawsuits have cost other municipalities hundreds of thousands. While the branch did not expect the lawsuit to be so costly for the county, Brooks says this is the cost of democracy.
"Historically this at-large system has not benefited people of color. At all," said Brooks.
The new map now seeks the approval of a judge.