Maryland Voters

Last week, the Frederick County Board of Elections threw out a petition calling for a special election to decide who should write the county charter. The problem was a familiar one to any who have followed voter referendum campaigns in Maryland: Hundreds of signatures were judged invalid. The petitioners had expected to lose some names but not 40 percent, a discrepancy that dropped them below the minimum 2,000 signatures required for a special election. Some were tossed because they were duplicates, but most failed for technical reasons — not signing the petition as one's name appears on voter registration rolls (first, middle or middle initial and last)

With Gov. Martin O'Malley's landmark gun control bill given final approval by the Senate on Friday and waiting only the governor's signature to be enacted into law, Democrats in Annapolis are likely hoping that the next step will be talk of the "R" word. And we don't mean Ruger, Remington, revolvers or repeating rifles. Would you believe referendum? Oh, gun control advocates won't necessarily be happy about the prospect of seeing the gun legislation taken to referendum - it would, after all, delay the effective date for at least 18 months while the matter is decided by voters in November 2014 - but you can bet a lot of people on the Democratic side of the aisle would be ecstatic.

I have followed national news reports of 13 correctional officer involved in partnership activities with inmates as well as four female correctional officers getting pregnant by inmates ("Alleged gang leader in poor jail conditions, his lawyer says," May 15). No one can deny that this is alarming and disgraceful! Unions will say it is the result of under-staffing and more money is the answer. Money and more staff is not the answer. It is leadership! Gov. Martin O'Malley demonstrated his lack leadership skills and lack of common sense when he endorsed the union's bill of rights which gives correctional officers an automatic appeal before three correctional officers.

Now that our lawmakers have failed to pass breed-neutral legislation that would overturn the court ruling that declared one breed of dog dangerous, thousands of Maryland voters and their pets will unfairly be affected ("General Assembly session ends in flurry of votes," April 9). We counted on legislators to right a wrong that was already causing a negative impact in homes and animal shelters in Maryland. This did not happen. The direct impact from the lack of compromise between our legislators will lead to more landlords burdened with the responsibility of determining a dog's breed and forcing tenants to choose between their home and their pets; more Marylanders having to give up their beloved pets; and an increase in abandoned pit-bull type dogs in already crowded animal shelters.

At the polls Maryland voters went to the polls yesterday under gray skies that brought occasional rain. There was no repeat of the staffing and computer problems that marred the primary elections in September.

Despite an aggressive petition drive to force a referendum on the state's Dream Act — which allows in-state tuition rates for the children of illegal immigrants — the campaign to defeat the measure in November remains a low-budget, grass-roots operation without much evidence of an organized effort. With the Nov. 6 election just a month away, opponents have yet to register a ballot committee with the State Board of Elections — typically one of the first steps in waging a high-profile referendum battle.

An Anne Arundel County judge threw out a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the referendum last November in which Maryland voters approved an expansion of casino gambling after a $95 million campaign. Circuit Judge Ronald A. Silkworth rejected a contention by plaintiffs who opposed the expansion that the referendum required a majority of all Maryland voters — rather than a majority of those casting their ballots — to pass. Silkworth also said the plaintiffs waited too long to bring their suit.

As the Nov. 6 election nears, likely Maryland voters are evenly divided on whether to make same-sex marriage legal in the state after opposition has grown in recent weeks, according to a new opinion poll conducted for The Baltimore Sun. Meanwhile, most voters are against Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan to expand gambling in Maryland, the poll found. Voters oppose the measure 54 percent to 39 percent - figures that are virtually unchanged over the past month despite a multimillion-dollar barrage of television ads seeking to sway public opinion.

It's hard to imagine that gay marriage and Superman could be wrapped into a controversy, but that's happening across the nation as  DC Comics launches a new line of comic books featuring Clark Kent's alter ego. One of the authors signed on for the upcoming "Adventures of Superman" series is Orson Scott Card, who wrote the popular Ender series. He certainly has science fiction cred, but his views opposing gay marriage have caused some bookstores to boycott his newest works and have triggered a petition drive.

Your recent poll, although unscientific, indicates that a majority of Marylanders are not satisfied with the outcome of this special legislative session ("What Maryland thinks," May 18). If they are not satisfied with the way that their elected officials have voted, then why did they re-elect them? They should know that liberals vote to increase taxes and spending. For them, government is the answer to everything. Maryland voters do this every election - they re-elect the same people and then complain.