Election Officials

Carroll election officials said yesterday they need to add two employees, about 120 election judges and create seven new voting precincts to handle the county's growing population and comply with the federal "motor-voter" law.The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires the Motor Vehicle Administration and social service agencies to give people the opportunity to register to vote.The law also says local election boards no longer may cancel voter registrations if people have not voted in an election in the past five years, said Rosemary McCloskey, Carroll's chief clerk.

Letter writer Stanley J. Glinka demands that Governor O'Malley and other Maryland politicians who are Catholic follow the teachings of the Catholic Church rather than the U.S. Constitution or their own conscience regarding gay marriage ("Catholic position on gay marriage is clear," April 25). What an astounding assertion! If Catholic elected officials were indeed to follow that advice, how could non-Catholics like me ever again vote for a Catholic candidate? Is that really what your reader wants?

State election officials are prepared to pay Howard County's next election director more than those in larger Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties - and more than Howard's retiring Robert J. Antonetti Sr. sued his own board to get. News of the proposed $58,783 salary in Howard has sparked an angry reaction among other local elections officials who are preparing for the state's first all-electronic election Tuesday. "I'm going to fight for [my pay] to go up," said Barbara Fisher, Anne Arundel County's election director, who makes $52,794 after 27 years on the job. She oversees a county with 284,000 voters, compared with Howard's 157,000.

Election officials predict a record low turnout for the Maryland presidential primary election ("Key races, little interest in primary," April 2). Meanwhile, the state legislature just passed a law that would move the election of Baltimore's mayor to coincide with presidential elections on the theory that the turnout would improve. What's wrong with this picture, and why do all other jurisdictions hold their leadership elections to coincide with election of the governor, not president?

A Towson man who has raised concerns about voting procedures for the blind since 1996 sued Baltimore County and state election officials yesterday, alleging that blind voters in the county have been systematically denied the right to a secret ballot. The complaint, brought by William C. Poole Jr. and four other county residents with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, said election officials should implement immediately touch-screen voting machines that would allow visually impaired voters to cast a ballot without having to rely on poll workers for assistance.

A Towson man who has raised concerns about voting procedures for the blind since 1996 sued Baltimore County and state election officials yesterday, alleging that blind voters in the county have been systematically denied the right to a secret ballot. The complaint, brought by William C. Poole Jr. and four other county residents with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, said election officials should implement immediately touch-screen voting machines that would allow visually impaired voters to cast a ballot without having to rely on poll workers for assistance.

The Baltimore election board will begin opening more than 3,500 absentee ballots tomorrow at 10 a.m.More than 4,200 ballots were issued for the election. As of late yesterday, 3,564 had been returned to the election office. Of those, roughly 3,100 were cast by Democrats, according to city election officials.In addition, any ballot that arrives in today's mail and that was postmarked by Monday will be accepted.City election administrator Barbara E. Jackson said the counting of the absentee ballots should take less than a day.Baltimore election officials predicted that the absentee-ballot counting process should go much more quickly than it did in last year's disputed gubernatorial election.

As election officials across Maryland began to count absentee ballots yesterday, Owings Mills accountant Larry M. Epstein maintained a thin lead in the race for the Republican nomination for state comptroller.Epstein, the party's 1990 nominee for the post, led rival Timothy R. Mayberry by 175 votes, according to figures provided by election officials. With hundreds of absentee ballots yet to be tallied -- including some that are not scheduled to be counted until next week -- the outcome of the race remained in doubt yesterday.

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that a Green Party candidate for Carroll County commissioner must appear on ballots for the November election, overruling decisions by the county's board of elections and a Circuit Court judge. George W. Murphy III will join seven other candidates on the ballot, after attorneys for the Green Party successfully argued that election officials unfairly excluded petition signatures that would have made Murphy eligible. The decision was handed down hours before county election officials mailed their final ballot forms to the printer.

IS the nation's new system for quick sign-ups of potential voters working? Here is what the Prince George's Journal thinks:"Motor-voter registration is a darn good idea, even if certain conservative governors from other states disagree. Some election officials in Maryland say the law, in effect since January, adds to their bureaucratic headaches and expense. But they say the problems don't seem insurmountable."If more people register to vote and then vote -- hurray! The whole idea of lining up at the Motor Vehicle Administration to get a driver's license and then getting to register to vote almost instantly on the same visit is a brilliant one. You almost want to wave a flag and eat apple pie, it's so democratic.

Baltimore County's public ethics law falls short of Maryland standards because it allows elected leaders to accept tickets to sporting events from people who do business with the county, state officials said Friday. The county has described its ethics laws - overhauled late last year - as among the toughest in the Maryland. But the State Ethics Commission has warned Baltimore County that it is not in compliance with a 2010 law that requires local ethics laws to be at least as strong as those state lawmakers must follow.

I enjoyed your article about the gifts given to Baltimore's elected officials by people the city does business with ("Tickets and city ethics law," Feb. 12). Here's my question: How is it not raising major red flags that the city's second most powerful elected official conducts himself in this manner? City Council PresidentBernard C. "Jack" Youngobviously knows what the rules are. He's been in the game long enough. Yet "oral approval" and "cash" (with no receipt) are obvious causes for concern in terms of the excuses and explanations he has provided.

Annapolis housing officials are investigating whether an alderman found by police in a city-owned complex during a drug raid last week is living there in violation of a lease agreement. Alderman Kenneth A. Kirby had little to say Tuesday about where he lives. Annapolis police said Kirby, who was in one of two apartments that were raided, is not accused of any wrongdoing. "I'm 57 years old, if I want to lay my head there or anywhere else in the city of Annapolis, that's where I'll be," said Kirby, who was elected to the council in 2009.

Shannon Sneed conceded her closely contested race to unseat City Councilman Warren Branch in a message on her campaign Facebook page late Thursday. The television producer congratulated Branch and pledged to continue her activism in East Baltimore. "We have come to the end of a long journey," Sneed wrote. "Though I was not selected to be the next council member, I will still be working tirelessly in our community. I would like to congratulate our councilman on his race, and I know if he succeeds then our community succeeds.

Baltimore City Councilman Warren Branch narrowly defeated his main challenger in the District 13 Democratic primary, election officials said Wednesday. With no votes left to count in the race, Branch, a first-term councilman, had a 43-vote lead over Shannon Sneed, said city elections director Armstead Jones Sr. The results were not yet certified, but election officials were in the process of doing that, Jones said. Reached by phone, Branch breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll take a win any way I can get it," he said jokingly.

 Lee Hager, a board member of the Woman's Club of Perry Hall, is pleased to share news of the final concert of the year in the eleventh Perry Hall Community Concert Series . A Free September Concert featuring the music of the Chesapeake Concert Band takes place Sunday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Perry Hall High School auditorium, 4601 Ebenezer Road. Admission is free and open to the public. "We are so pleased to be back at the Perry Hall High School auditorium. We haven't been able to get there this spring and summer due to much needed repairs on the high school building," Hager said.

YOUR MARCH 18 editorial, "Election Day for teacher planning" was devoid of research and cries out for some response.When a few schools are used for polling sites it is necessary to close all schools because you cannot close part of a school system and leave the rest open for regular classes. The situation requires that all schools be closed.Del. Joseph Getty should leave educational decisions to the state Board of Education. That board really knows what planning days are needed for teachers.

A Republican candidate for Howard County council has announced he is withdrawing from the race, but missed the Friday withdrawal deadline, frustrating GOP plans to name a replacement. Democrat Calvin Ball is the incumbent in District 2, which covers East Columbia, Jessup, and parts of Elkridge. Anthony Jordan, a 29-year-old first-time candidate who was the first to file for council this year, announced Friday on his campaign website that the demands of his job had become so great that he has little time for campaigning and had decided to drop out. The problem is he missed Friday's deadline for withdrawing, which means the Republican central committee may not replace him on the ballot until after ther September 14 primary election.

Re: Ending Candy Thomson's outdoor column. I cannot believe how shortsighted the Baltimore Sun is to end Candy's column and blog. Her column was essential reading for those who care about our incredible natural resources. She shined light on those who broke the law and abused the bay's bounty, and held elected officials accountable for their stewardship (or lack thereof). Her column educated, inspired and amused. How could you take that away? John Surrick, Annapolis

Often, the best ideas for a column come from readers. One reader recently objected to a column about Republicans vs. Democrats and said the real issue for voters is, instead, the people vs. elected officials of both parties. He wanted to throw all the rascals out. I think he failed to note that all of those rascal officials were chosen by the people not so long ago. All of our local officials, all of our Carroll County delegation and our representatives to Congress are Republicans.