General commentary: Ballot questions
Here our short explanations of the ballot questions for November 7:
State ballot questions in plain English
On Nov. 7 Maryland voters can vote up or down on four statewide ballot questions:
Question No. 1 – A vote in favor would amend the state constitution to say that the Board of Public Works cannot dispose of parkland without General Assembly approval. This initiative arose from Governor Bob Erhlich’s attempts to sell state land to Republican friends at below-market prices.
Question No. 2 – This initiative is an attempt to diminish the power of three-judge circuit court panel. A “yes” vote would allow litigants who lose in front of a three-judge panel to make an appeal to the Court of Special Appeals. It would also provide uniform procedures for litigation that comes before three-judge panels.
Question No. 3 – The point of this initiative is to reduce the number of civil cases that go to juries by adjusting the minimum financial threshold for inflation. A vote in favor would mean that a case must involve damages of at least $10,000, rather than current minimum of $5,000, for plaintiff to be entitled to a jury trial
Question No. 4 – The key change in this initiative would be to take power away from local boards of elections and give it to the State Board of Elections, notably in regard to setting rules for absentee ballots for people living in nursing homes, drawing precinct boundaries and determining who is a registered voter. A vote against the initiative would keep the authority with local boards.
Montgomery County ballot questions generate little controversy
by Tisha Tryens
On Tuesday November 7, many Montgomery County residents will head to the polls and cast votes for their favored political candidate but then two other question will appear on the voting machine asking them to make a decision that will play a role in the legislation of the county. These ballot questions have been historically convoluted and controversial and have brought about such important changes as the length of Council tenures, the size of the County Council, and what tax class limits should be put in place.
This year the ballot will consist of two questions which will be, “very quiet compared to previous years,” according to Michael Faden, legal contact for the Montgomery County Council.
The first concerns the implementation of a charter which will regulate compensation for Council members and whether or not they, like the County Executive, should be considered full time employees of the county. This would not restrict them from seeking employment outside of the Council as many members currently do, but perhaps make it less likely that they will have to. By increasing the Council pay, they may be more inclined to focus their attentions solely on their county duties. However, voters need to contemplate whether this is an effective means of distributing the county’s funds.
The second question is posed in order to clarify how the 10-day period in which the County Executive has to veto or sign proposed legislation is determined. In the past there have been uncertainties about which days counted, and the new language should correct this problem.