Election Process

The Rev. Roland L. Howard Sr., an Elkridge Democrat, has been appointed by Gov. Parris N. Glendening to a four-year term on the Howard County Board of Election Supervisors. Howard, 73, was sworn in yesterday at the Circuit Courthouse in Ellicott City. He will join four other board members in overseeing and protecting the integrity of the election process. Howard has served on the board as a substitute supervisor in years past. Pub Date: 6/08/99

The outcome of the recent referendum notwithstanding, the process and result of congressional redistricting in Maryland was a disgrace and remains a badge of shame for the state ("Against Question 5," Nov. 6). It would be hard to imagine a clearer case of politicians choosing their voters, rather than the other way around, undermining the fundamental purpose of the election process. But that was the only transparent part of this exercise, since the actual wording of the referendum question seemed intended to mislead.

EASTON -- A week after he was sworn into office following a controversial election, the new mayor of Snow Hill has dismissed the town's three-member Election Board.In a letter sent to each board member this week, Mayor Raymond A. Warren said he and the Town Council planned to reorganize the local election process, which officials admitted was flawed during the May 5 election of the mayor and two council members.Mr. Warren, a newcomer to the town of 2,500, easily defeated his two opponents in the race for the highest elected office in Snow Hill.

Granted, Wendy Rosen, the Democratic challenger to Republican Rep. Andy Harris in the 1 s t Congressional District, has property in Florida, and apparently she could, under Maryland law, participate in local elections there. But was it possible to register for those local elections without also picking up access to state and federal elections there as well? I have heard of separate registrations being held for local elections. There was a case in Delaware, I believe, where a man who was teaching his son about the election process showed up for a local election only to find he wasn't registered for it. This points out the need to alert voters who are registering for the first time that there could be a separate registration for local elections.

What is the true goal in attempting to change the election process for the Board of Education? After reading articles and having an email exchange with the county executive's office, I feel it is not well defined. Ken Ulman's office states, "He advocates a board where a majority of members are, in fact, elected. He views the current proposal as a step forward to insure racial and ethnic diversity and to bring skills and professionalism to the board, as warranted. " So which is it: to achieve racial/ethnic diversity, geographic diversity or to address professionalism in the current board?

It's apparent that we're once again in election season in Howard County. The signs for the school Board and Circuit Court are beginning to appear everywhere. That's part of the election process and I have no problem with it. What bothers me is when I see the illegal signs of the challenger to the sitting judges. They're on medians, rights of way, county property, etc. — places where clearly no permission was given. These signs say much about someone who wants to be a judge, but has no respect for the law. David Dagold Columbia

Well, another Maryland primary is held and I was prohibited from voting. Being an "unaffiliated" registered voter (also known as an independent thinking voter), Maryland voting law says I could not vote unless I went against my convictions and changed my "unaffiliated" status by completing a new registration card and selecting a party affiliation 21 days prior to the primary election. This political restriction has intentionally kept approximately 15 percent of registered voters from having a say in the primaries.

It saddens me to watch the erosion and deterioration of the Roman Catholic Church. It seems that Pope Benedict has backed himself into a corner from which there is much uncomfortable squirming. Unfortunately, there is little wiggle room. Wouldn't it behoove the Catholic Church to radically change the election process of the pope? The current pope seemingly has such a weak grasp of reality; it's very frightening to think he is the spiritual leader of millions who adhere to his every word.

Someone, it seems, has finally come up with some evidence about last year's state election that merits serious consideration.Just what that evidence might be, or what aspect of the wildly varied complaints about the gubernatorial election it deals with, remains publicly unknown. But federal authorities think they have been presented with information that deserves at least preliminary investigation. It's their job to follow up such leads, and the public's role is to await more information.

Voting measure just partisanship Now that the General Assembly has concluded its session in Annapolis, we can see the damage partisanship has inflicted on our election process. In an effort to defeat Bob Ehrlich and Michael Steele this November, the Democrat majority overrode the governor's veto of an early voting bill. As passed, the law requires the election offices to open up three polling places a week before the election in each of the seven largest jurisdictions. The deck is clearly stacked against Republicans in statewide races, inasmuch as most of the early polling places will be in heavily Democrat precincts.

Since 1794, the voters of Charm City have had the same political reality as most: a four-year ritual of choosing the most qualified mayoral and City Council candidates vying for their support, to serve a prescribed term understood by those very voters to be of a certain length. The reality that if you pick an official who does not live up to your expectations you would have to live with that public servant representing your interests for a four-year period has always been recognized and understood.

Last month, for the first time in their history, Egyptians voted for president in a largely free and fair election. For the second time in less than a year, a new, democratic regime is emerging from the outgrowth of the Arab awakening. In the final results tallied by the Egyptian election commission, the three candidates with the highest votes were Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, with 25 percent; Ahmed Shafiq, the former air force general and the last prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, with 24 percent; and the Socialist-Nasserist Hamdeen Sabahi, with 21 percent.

It's apparent that we're once again in election season in Howard County. The signs for the school Board and Circuit Court are beginning to appear everywhere. That's part of the election process and I have no problem with it. What bothers me is when I see the illegal signs of the challenger to the sitting judges. They're on medians, rights of way, county property, etc. — places where clearly no permission was given. These signs say much about someone who wants to be a judge, but has no respect for the law. David Dagold Columbia

When Baltimore County Republicans vote in primary elections every four years, they also cast ballots for the chairman of their local party. Party leaders want to change that, saying the county central committee should pick its chief. The county GOP is the only party organization in Maryland whose chairman is elected at large. This week, state Sen. J.B. Jennings, a Baltimore County Republican, introduced a measure in Annapolis that would let the county party's central committee — rather than the general population — elect its leader.

The votes are in, and the results are clear: Baltimore's general election was a nearly complete waste of time, money and effort. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake got about 84 percent of the measly 45,000 votes that were cast. Among the City Council races, only one was close. In most of the rest, the winners of the Democratic primary ran up margins that would make dictators holding sham elections envious. One incumbent, Sharon Green Middleton, got 98 percent of the vote. This exercise cost city taxpayers about $1.5 million, or more than $33 per voter.

What is the true goal in attempting to change the election process for the Board of Education? After reading articles and having an email exchange with the county executive's office, I feel it is not well defined. Ken Ulman's office states, "He advocates a board where a majority of members are, in fact, elected. He views the current proposal as a step forward to insure racial and ethnic diversity and to bring skills and professionalism to the board, as warranted. " So which is it: to achieve racial/ethnic diversity, geographic diversity or to address professionalism in the current board?

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is considering merging the state board of elections into the office of the secretary of state, a move that would give the Republican administration more control over the election process. The state Department of Budget and Management has compiled a 15-page, internal report outlining how Maryland would save more than $600,000 a year if the independent elections board was placed under the control of the secretary of state, who is appointed by the governor. "An independent agency is not necessary for states to provide a well-managed election process," says the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Sun. "Consolidation will offer the opportunity to realize cost savings and potentially increase the visibility and importance of the Office of Secretary of State."

Democracy is a fragile thing. It can slip away while we sleep. It is easy to criticize faraway nations for their lack of democracy; or the national government for the way it practices democracy. But democracy is a mindset. It is displayed in the way we treat one another, and in our local communities. I write to shine a light on what can happen in a neighborhood when the power structure is so deeply entrenched it forgets to represent its community. Several members of the Rodgers Forge Board of Governors have been serving on the board for 40 years or more; their dedication is laudable.

Well, another Maryland primary is held and I was prohibited from voting. Being an "unaffiliated" registered voter (also known as an independent thinking voter), Maryland voting law says I could not vote unless I went against my convictions and changed my "unaffiliated" status by completing a new registration card and selecting a party affiliation 21 days prior to the primary election. This political restriction has intentionally kept approximately 15 percent of registered voters from having a say in the primaries.