Maryland voters will decide the fate of a state law granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants after election officials Thursday certified that enough signatures had been gathered to place the issue on the ballot in November 2012. The Maryland State Board of Elections on Thursday validated 63,118 signatures gathered by opponents of the law, thousands more than needed and with 40,000 remaining to be verified. A state law hasn’t gone before Maryland voters in two decades.
“It’s a great victory for the people and now we’re going to have to fight off misinformation and possibly frivolous lawsuits,” said Del. Pat McDonough, R-Baltimore County, on of a handful of lawmakers who organized petition drives across the state. “It’s going to be a very long campaign. But I don’t think this is going to be a close vote. The popular support of the people is very wide and deep.”
Forecasting the fate of voter referendums is tricky. But a defeat in liberal Maryland could have deep political ramifications nationwide for those who believe social and educational benefits should be extended to illegal immigrants.
The law was supposed to go into effect last week but was suspended while signatures were being counted. Voters could ultimately keep the legislation from ever being implemented.
In one of the most contested votes of the General Assembly, lawmakers approved the bill over criticism that it bucked federal law and would cost the cash-strapped state millions of dollars each year. State estimates show it could cost $40,000 per student over four years.
In a compromise, lawmakers added the caveat that illegal immigrants must finish two years at a community college, sign up with the Selective Service system and prove their parents paid state taxes three years before they enroll. Illegal immigrants would be labeled out-of-state students to preserve slots for Marylanders.
