Early voting amendment clears the House

Friday, Feb. 16, 2007

Early voting amendment clears the House

by Alan Brody | Staff Writer

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ANNAPOLIS — The House of Delegates on Friday easily passed a constitutional amendment that would allow voters to cast ballots before Election Day in Maryland as soon as the 2010 gubernatorial election.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday night on its version, which differs slightly from the House bill. It limits precincts from opening more than two weeks before Election Day.

The referendum would be put on the 2008 ballot for voters to decide. Democrats say early voting will increase turnout, but Republicans argue that it is tilted against them and will invite fraud by allowing voters to cast ballots in precincts other then their own.

Six GOP delegates joined all voting Democrats in supporting the measure, which required the approval of three-fifths of the chamber. It received 101 supporting votes — 16 more than were needed.

‘‘We’re giving people the right to choose to give us direction on this issue,” said House Ways and Means Chairwoman Sheila E. Hixson (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring.

Several Republicans who backed the measure said they endorsed letting the voters decide, but were uneasy about the specifics of early voting.

‘‘I never think there’s a downside to putting an issue before voters for them to decide whether it’s an issue we should pursue,” said Del. Barry Glassman (R-Dist. 35A) of Churchville.

Early voting flies in the face of the electoral principles established by the nation’s founders, said Del. Steven R. Schuh (R-Dist. 31) of Gibson Island, who voted for the amendment despite his opposition to early voting. ‘‘It makes me very nervous when people in the year 2007 think they’re wiser than James Madison.”

The General Assembly passed an early voting law in 2005, but it was vetoed. The legislature overrode the veto last year, but the state appeals court ruled the law unconstitutional, leading to this year’s push.