Division of Marylands

The Division of Marylands (/ˈmɛərɪlənz/  mair -ri-lənz) is a Craftian federal division in the state of Jagsland. It was created in 1992 and was first contested in the federal election later that year. It is named after the Marylands, a low plains region of Jagsland that forms most of the division's geographical area. The division was formed from the combination of the electorates of East Marylands and West Marylands in the 1992 redistribution, following a declining population in rural Jagsland. Marylands covers the eastern two thirds of Jagsland, with most of its population coming from scattered regional towns.

The sitting member, since the 2070 federal election, is Ian Goh, a member of the National United Party.

History
The Division of Marylands was formed from the merger of the East and West Marylands electorates, following population decline in the region. The Marylands region has always been dominated by agriculture, but has a significant mining sector, with various mining towns scattered throughout the vast seat. When the seat was created in 1992, it was actually smaller than its current size. By the 2020s, the population growth of Jagsland was too low to retain its number of electorates, and rural seats were abolished. The Division of Mount Worden was reconfigured to cover the western side of the state, and Marylands took the rest of rural Jagsland. It continues to cover approximately the same area since the 2023 redistribution.

Due to the prevalence of mining towns in the region, the seat is unusually marginal for a rural seat, and is one of the few regional seats where United is competitive. In fact, Marylands was previously one of the NUP's safest non-metropolitan seats, having been continuously held by the party or the Craftia Liberty Party from its creation in 1992 to 2034. However, the seat has become more marginal in recent decades, and was held by the Craftian Conservative Party for 21 years between 2049 and 2070. A recent distribution moved more mining towns into the electorate from Mount Worden, contributing to the increased United margin in 2070.