Democrats launched a counteroffensive against Gov. Robert Ehrlich?s persistent attacks on early voting that is scheduled to start in the September primary.
“If you can have it in Baghdad, you can have [it] in Baltimore,” Sen. Barbara Mikulski said at an Annapolis news conference. “If you?re going to expand democracy” to other countries, “we can expand it over here.” She?s hoping for “maximum turnout” this fall.
Under legislation passed last year and this spring, early voting will begin a week before the election and last for five days at three sites in the city and the six largest jurisdictions, and at the county seats in the other 17 counties.
“What are they afraid of?” asked Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Montgomery County congressman. “Let?s make sure we increase voter participation.”
Mikulski and other Democrats say early voting will allow working people with long and changeable schedules, such as police, firefighters, nurses and those with long commutes to vote when it?s convenient.
A nurse, an ex-teacher and a salesman all spoke to the advantages of early voting.
“Many years ago, we were allowed time off to vote,” said nurse Fran Crites, of Hanover, but that doesn?t happen now.
The governor should “quit trying to play around,” Crites said.
Jim Stavropoulos Jr., an auto salesman running for the House of Delegates in eastern Baltimore County, said “It?s really hard to find time in a 12-hour day to get a break. Early voting is going to make it a lot easier.”
With the support of the governor, a petition drive is trying to put the early voting legislation as a referendum on the November ballot, postponing its implementation. An election board decision is expected by today on whether sufficient signatures were collected in the first stage of the drive.
Ehrlich policy director Joseph Getty said, “All of the professional election studies show that early voting does not increase turnout. It becomes a convenience factor for those people who are interested to vote.”
The referendum drive “is not going to suppress voter turnout,” as Democrats charge, Getty said.
Mikulski promised there will be “voter suppression squads” to look for attempts to prevent voting.
Getty said early voting should be delayed because it provides no requirement for identification, there are no paper ballots and there is no time to implement and test the computers on which registrations will be checked.
