NEWS
By Matthew Hay Brown and Bradley Olson | April 4, 2008
WASHINGTON -- When he decided to leave Congress before the end of his term to join a Washington lobbying giant, Rep. Albert R. Wynn left his constituents with a choice: Pay for a costly special election to fill his seat or go unrepresented in the House for the remainder of the congressional session. The dilemma is rankling even some of his fellow Democrats. "Congressman Wynn's decision makes more financial sense for him than it does for the state," state Sen. Jamie Raskin of Montgomery County, a Democrat whose district overlaps Wynn's, said yesterday.
NEWS
By Nicole Fuller | February 9, 2008
Maryland's highest court ruled yesterday that 17-year-olds may vote in nonpartisan primary elections. The Court of Appeals ruling cements a Feb. 1 order in Anne Arundel Circuit Court that allows 17-year-olds who will turn 18 before the general election in November and who registered to vote by last month's deadline to cast ballots Tuesday in nonpartisan primary elections, such as those for county school boards and district judges. The Court of Appeals ruled that voter eligibility provisions of the Maryland Constitution "are not in conflict" with the state's election law, which says that 17-year-olds who will be 18 before the general election may vote in the primary.
NEWS
By Nicole Fuller | February 2, 2008
Seventeen-year-olds, who recently won the right to vote in Maryland primaries, are also entitled to cast ballots in nonpartisan elections, an Anne Arundel County judge ruled yesterday. The decision by Judge Paul A. Hackner will allow teenagers who will turn 18 by the Nov. 4 general election and who registered to vote by last month's deadline to have a say in local school board and District Court judge races taking place Feb. 12. His order is at odds with Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, who determined last month that the state constitution does not allow for early voters to partake in nonpartisan elections, including ballot questions.
NEWS
By John Fritze and Julie Bykowicz | November 7, 2007
Mayor Sheila Dixon decisively won her bid to lead Baltimore yesterday as voters gave her an overwhelming, if predictable, victory and made her the first woman elected as the city's mayor. Dixon, the 53-year-old former president of the City Council, will sit at the head of a government led almost exclusively by black women - including the newly elected president of the City Council, the city comptroller, who won a fourth term yesterday, and the city state's attorney. Unofficial returns showed Dixon with a solid lead over Republican Elbert R. Henderson, who did not aggressively campaign for the position and faced devastating odds before he even put his name on the ballot.
NEWS
By Melissa Harris | June 28, 2007
In a glossy brochure for the voter check-in system that Diebold Election Systems debuted in Maryland last year, the state's elections chief offers glowing praise. "Our election judges just love this product, and so do I," says Linda H. Lamone, administrator for the State Board of Elections, whose color photo appears in the brochure. "We in Maryland are extremely pleased with the performance of the system during the general election." What Lamone didn't mention, however, was that the check-in machines crashed during the September primary, leading to long delays at some precincts and prompting then-Gov.
NEWS
By Michael Cain and Zach Messitte | March 11, 2007
Imagine the job announcement: "State of Maryland seeks temporary employees to safeguard democracy. Candidates must be willing to work for below the minimum wage without benefits or gratitude, enjoy inflexible and long workdays, attend multiple training sessions, and be prepared to deal with angry voters. Interested? We want you to be a Maryland election judge." As the General Assembly considers how to regain the trust of Marylanders in the way elections are conducted, it would do well to look beyond early voting, paper trails and Diebold machine flaws.
NEWS
By Melissa Harris | March 9, 2007
Local and state politicians have so toyed with Baltimore's election schedule that in 2003 and 2004, there was a 14-month gap between the city's primary and general elections. As a result, the mayor and City Council members were elected to five-year terms - and then three-year terms. The city's elections would be rescheduled again under a proposal before the General Assembly. The Baltimore Senate delegation and Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller want to align the city's elections with state gubernatorial elections, over the opposition of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon.
NEWS
By Melissa Harris | December 20, 2006
Legislative leaders are pledging to make voting issues a priority when the General Assembly convenes next month, with members working on a constitutional amendment to allow multiple days of early voting and a solution to alleged security flaws in Maryland's electronic touch-screen equipment. The push comes after years of tension surrounding the management of the state's elections, numerous federal- and state-mandated changes and distrust among voters after a disastrous September primary, which led to the highest-ever use of absentee ballots in the November general election.
NEWS
November 26, 2006
Leopold thanks Anne Arundel voters I would like to thank the citizens of Anne Arundel County who cast their vote for me in the recent general election. As I take a moment to think of the work ahead, I recognize that it will take all of us working together, committed to improving the quality of life for all who live and work in our great county. I want to thank my worthy primary and general election opponents for running spirited campaigns. It is not about party affiliation, but about service to others.
NEWS
November 5, 2006
ABSENTEE BALLOTS Applications for absentee ballots received by the county election board as of late Friday: 10,400 Absentee ballots cast in the September primary: 1,538 2004 general election: 7,024 2002 general election: 3,576 VOTING INFO The county's 69 polling precincts will be open for voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Delays can be avoided by voting between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The general election is open to all registered voters. The name and location of where you are assigned to vote is listed on your voter's card.