WHAT IS QUESTION H?

Question H is a proposed charter amendment that would reduce the Baltimore City Council from 14 district seats to just eight. This question will be on the ballot for Baltimore City voters in the November 2024 election.

The effort to get this issue onto the ballot has been funded almost entirely by David Smith, wealthy Baltimore County resident and Executive Chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

Why vote against question H?
Question H is a charter amendment that would shrink the Baltimore City Council from 14 district seats to just 8.
Question H would make city government less responsive to residents and more responsive to businesses.
Question H would make elections more expensive and encourage candidates to seek out more wealthy donors.
Question H would elect council members less representative of the people of Baltimore.
Vote against Question H!
Who is behind Question H?
Question H is a petition-based charter amendment that was sponsored by an organization called PEACE Baltimore. The PEACE website mentions a one-person team, Chair Jovani Patterson, a Republican who ran for Baltimore City Council President in 2020.
PEACE has taken $415,000 in 2023 and 2024, all from one donor: Wealthy Republican David Smith. Campaign finance law allows unlimited individual and corporate contributions to Ballot Issue Committees like PEACE.
David Smith is a wealthy Republican who lives in Baltimore County -- Owner of the Baltimore Sun & Executive Chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting.
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Why do we oppose reducing the City Council size?

  • Baltimore City has more than 250 neighborhoods. Reducing the number of city council members would limit the representation of these diverse communities. The needs across communities vary, and having larger districts would make it harder for the city council to stay connected to all the neighborhoods and constituents they would represent.  

  • Our neighborhoods are distinct and have unique cultural, economic, and social needs. Reducing the size of the city council by almost half would undermine the diversity of voices represented in our local government. It could result in less attention to already overlooked and underrepresented communities in policy making. 

  • Reducing the city council size directly threatens community advocacy. Our current council members are accessible to residents, but with fewer members, there would be less capacity for meaningful engagement, attending community meetings, and advocating for neighborhood-specific issues. This reduction would diminish residents' ability to have their voices heard and weaken public trust in local government.

  • Like many recent ballot initiatives, the push to reduce the city council size is funded and driven by David Smith, the Executive Chairman and majority owner of Sinclair Broadcasting, who doesn’t live in Baltimore City. His business thrives on government dysfunction and clickbait. Passing this reduction would empower special interests to keep chipping away at our government, setting a dangerous precedent that a well-funded, hidden agenda can override the will of the people. This move would encourage more misinformation and further erode public trust in Baltimore City, giving "chaos agents" even more power to destabilize our community.

  • Fewer council members would make it harder to hold the government accountable. It would also make city council elections less accessible for community members who want to serve as leaders. In our most recent election, council members could use public financing for the first time. Drastically reducing the council size would undermine this progress, making elections more expensive and moving the goalpost further for those seeking to represent their communities.

  • Baltimore has a history of disinvestment and systemic harm. Reducing the council size would only intensify feelings of disconnection and distrust in the government and city services, as residents would see their voices further marginalized. Instead, we must strengthen local representation to rebuild trust and ensure that all communities feel they have a stake in the city’s future, with accessible and responsive representatives.