A ballot question asking voters to slash the size of the Baltimore City Council will face additional opposition this fall with the formation of a second group objecting to the proposal.

A coalition calling itself Baltimore For Democracy formed a committee this week with the Maryland State Board of Elections to raise and spend money in an effort to sway voters on the issue. The group will operate separately from a coalition of union leaders and elected officials headed by Mayor Brandon Scott that has already been working to defeat the question.

The ballot question, which is due to appear on ballots of city voters in November, would reduce the size of the 14-member Baltimore City Council to eight members elected on a district-wide basis. The council also includes a city council president who is elected citywide. That position would not be impacted by the proposed charter amendment.

Championed by People for Elected Accountability and Civic Engagement, the question was placed on the ballot via a citizen petition, which requires the submission of at least 10,000 signatures from qualified city voters. The effort has been funded almost entirely by David Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting Group and co-owner of The Baltimore Sun.

Andy Ellis, a political organizer and likely Green Party candidate for governor in 2026, is chairing Baltimore For Democracy. Ellis and other organizers served on the city’s charter review commission which makes recommendations for upgrades and changes to the city charter. Ellis said their opposition to the ballot question was born out of that work.

The reduction of the council’s size will reduce representation for city residents and diminish Black voter empowerment in Baltimore, Ellis said. Baltimore’s population is about 60% Black, according to U.S. Census figures. Currently, two-thirds of council members are Black.

Jovani Patterson, chairman of the People for Elected Accountability and Civic Engagement, has argued previously that the reduction would save the city millions of dollars annually that could be freed to fund city services.

Ellis said he anticipates his group working alongside a separate campaign organized against the ballot question by union leaders and Scott. That group held a kickoff rally in June.

Baltimore For Democracy, which includes fellow charter review commission members Dayvon Love and Julianne Montes de Oca, will likely be more grassroots and nimble, Ellis said. Some elected officials have joined the effort, however. Councilman Ryan Dorsey and School Commissioner Ashley Esposito are working with the coalition.

Ellis hopes to raise enough money to send workers to all city polls this fall and to do a door-knocking campaign ahead of the election. A digital ad campaign is planned as well.