6 Lawmakers Would Ease Petition Signature Rules

State legislation this year to make referendum petition drives easier would likely get support from six General Assembly members from Howard County who appeared at a League of Women Voters luncheon, though only one legislator said she'd favor making any change retroactive.

Del. Elizabeth Bobo said she'd favor retroactivity in answer to a question from Marc Norman, a Turf Valley development critic whose attempt to recall a County Council zoning change allowing a larger supermarket there was disqualified last year by the county election board.

A December 2008 Maryland Court of Appeals ruling reaffirmed Maryland's strict legal standard for signatures on petitions, forcing election officials to disqualify thousands of names gathered under a long-used looser practice for determining their validity. Under current law, a signature must exactly match what is on a voter registration card, must also exactly match the printed name on the petition, or must include a registered voter's address and birth date if a first name, last name and middle initial are used. Norman is also seeking court relief.

At the Bethany United Methodist Church luncheon Jan. 9 in Ellicott City, all three county state senators and three delegates, including Democrats Guy Guzzone and Bobo and Republican Warren E. Miller, said they support the idea of loosening the rules to prevent technicalities from eliminating valid signatures, though no specific bill has emerged. The county's five other delegates did not attend the annual event.

"I think we need to do something, but I'm not sure what that is," said state Sen. James N. Robey, a Democrat. Republican Allan H. Kittleman agreed, saying, "I would support petition change." State Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, the Senate majority leader, said he was "disappointed, frankly" that an emergency bill he sponsored last March to accomplish the reform died in committee, despite expressions of leadership support. That bill included a retroactivity clause.

"The committee chairs told me they would pass it, but they didn't," he said. Later, after Norman asked about retroactivity, Kasemeyer said he didn't think that would win approval of the Senate's Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, and no one but Bobo endorsed the concept.

If a bill is enacted, it would likely take effect too late to affect the rules for the 2010 election, which means a potential referendum campaign to defeat County Council approval of downtown Columbia rezoning after a Feb. 1 scheduled vote would have to use the current strict standard.

Morning after, night before

As a liberal Democrat, Guzzone doesn't share much philosophically with conservative Republican Miller, but they do share one thing: a need for campaign cash.

That's why Guzzone stood among dozens of shiny BMW motorcycles the evening of Jan. 7 toasting supporters in an unusual political setting. The next morning, Miller raked in his pre-General Assembly session cash at a Turf Valley breakfast, where anti-tax activist Grover Norquist held sway over those eager enough to brave the snow.

State legislators are barred from raising funds during the 90-day session that began Wednesday, and since this is an election year, both Howard delegates felt the need to scratch that old political itch.

Norquist told Miller's guests that voters registered as independents often don't pay close attention to politics until election time and only superficially consider issues. Many are now shocked to find that Democrats like President Barack Obama are spending lots of money, he said.

"They follow politics like I follow professional sports. They're vaguely aware it goes on," and they just "look up" at election times. But last year, the head of Washington-based Americans for Tax Reform said, "spending per se became an issue that motivates people." The strong public reaction surprised him, he said, because he thought the anger wouldn't come until spending produced more tax increases. Republicans should use the spending issue, Norquist said.

"Spending is what matters, not the deficit," he said, adding that Democrats would rather talk about the deficit so they can push for higher taxes. "The voter is always right because the voter has the vote and we want to get it," he advised. "Our job is to say no tax increases and to force tax restraint."

But Jeff Robinson, a candidate for state delegate in Guzzone's district, asked if that would work in Maryland because "I don't know that Marylanders recognize that spending is a problem," since the emphasis here is on reduced tax revenues from the recession. "Focus on spending," Norquist advised.

Miller stuck to that theme, accusing Maryland Democrats of "reckless spending" that ignored the deepening recession, resulting in a projected $2 billion revenue shortfall.

Guzzone's event was much more lighthearted, though the former county councilman did fleetingly address the Republican complaints.