Howard County Democrats said the GOP is inventing problems of voter fraud and disenfranchisement that don?t exist, in response to the new law allowing people to vote five days before Election Day.
“It?s a straw man argument,” said Tony McGuffin, chairman of the Howard County Democratic Central Committee, referring to the Republican?s statement.
“Why are we talking about that, when the voting problem we have is the lack of a paper trail?”
“For Anthony McGuffin to say this is a straw man just proves to you the Democratic Party does not understand what it means to have fair elections,” said John Wafer, a member of the Howard County Republican Central Committee who is leading the petition.
“This is not about the Republican Party; it?s not about the Democrat Party. It?s about the people ? the voters ? and making sure that their vote counts.”
The Howard County Republicans have been making leeway on a petition expressing their disapproval of the law and with their help, the state GOP has 20 percent ? or 3,600 ? of its goal of 50,000 signatures.
At the Howard County Republican Central Committee?s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday, where Gov. Robert Ehrlich gave a speech, most of the 380 guests signed the petition and some took home additional petitions to round up more.
Signatures to put the law before a referendum will be collected until June 30.
“There are a lot of people who feel disenfranchised,” said Brian Harlin, chairman of the Howard County Republican Central Committee.
“People don?t think those laws were a good use of legislative time … They spent their time trying to get themselves re-elected. They put themselves before the people.”
Concerns about fraud and disenfranchisement were raised because the locations of three polling sites for early voting are in Democratic-led areas of Howard County:
» Precinct 2: Miller Branch Library on Frederick Road in Ellicott City;
» Precinct 6: East Columbia Branch Library on Cradlerock in Columbia;
» Precinct 6: Savage Branch Library in North Laurel.
Howard County 2006 active registered voters by party and precinct
Precinct 1
Democrats: 7,928
Republicans: 6,906
Unaffiliated: 3,448
Other: 226
Precinct 2
Democrats: 15,522
Republicans: 13,748
Unaffiliated: 6,220
Other: 451
Precinct 3
Democrats: 3,357
Republicans: 4,362
Unaffiliated: 1,393
Other: 117
Precinct 4
Democrats: 2,829
Republicans: 4,586
Unaffiliated: 1,187
Other: 121
Precinct 5
Democrats: 19,277
Republicans: 11,741
Unaffiliated: 6,994
Other: 559
Precinct 6
Democrats: 26,276
Republicans: 13,901
Unaffiliated: 9,437
Other: 708
Source: Howard County Board of Elections
