Party Committed to Ensuring Confidence in Petition Process

On July 24, 2012, in Blog, by Matt Verghese

Maryland Democratic Party Executive Director David Sloan issued the following statement after the Maryland Democratic State Central Committee joined Dennis Whitley III, Anne Neal, Karren Jo Pope-Onwukwe, Joanna Hanes-Lahr, and Matthew Thomas in filing a complaint against the State Board of Elections:

The Maryland Constitution and Election Law lay out clear standards for reviewing and validating petition signatures. The State Board of Elections failed to fairly apply these standards and inappropriately approved thousands of signatures that violated the definitive requirements set forth in law and regulation. By doing so, the State Board caused irreparable harm to the millions of voters who chose not to sign the petition. The Maryland Democratic Party is committed to ensuring confidence in and protecting the integrity of the petition process, and has taken appropriate steps to do so today.

The Maryland Congressional Districting Plan, which was supported by an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, reflects Maryland’s diversity and largely Democratic population growth over the last decade. The Maryland GOP’s partisan effort to overturn this plan is simply a desperate ploy by a declining party who has abandoned all hopes of winning elections and has turned instead to constantly churning out questionable petition signatures.

Maryland voters will undoubtedly see this effort as a transparent attempt by Republicans to subvert legislative procedure and impose a radical tea party agenda. We are confident of victory, up and down the ballot, in November.

View the complaint here

Posted by: Matt Verghese on July 24, 2012.
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  • Randyho

    Or… MD voters will see that the general assembly doesn’t reflect their views. Sloan’s statement is pure comedy.

  • Chrisafrazier

    What are you Democrats so afraid of? The decision of redistricting, or any other matter, is for the voters to decide, Republican and Democratic alike. It is not the mandate, function or right of the legislature to dictate any policy or legislation that is not expressly supported by those who chose to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

  • ASmith

     Uh, what?

    There are so many things wrong here I just don’t know where to start.

    1) It’s absolutely the role of the legislature to redistrict, NOT “for the voters to decide”.

    2) You really don’t know that Republican controlled states have carved
    out districts where no Democrat could ever be elected?  Gerrymandering
    has been going on since the founding of our government!

    3) You are really so naive to think that any legislative body supports the majority of their constituents wishes 100% of the time?  Really?

    4) The plan was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

    5) The State Board of Elections failed to fairly apply the mandated standards and
    inappropriately approved thousands of signatures that violated the
    definitive requirements set forth in law and regulation.

    Why are Republicans so afraid of telling the truth?

  • Loveless

    WHICH JACKASSES ARE FILING THE LAWSUIT THEN?

  • Paul Sundell

     

    I am an Anne Arundel County Democrat who enthusiastically
    signed the redistricting petition.  The
    Maryland Democratic Party’s actions involving Maryland Congressional
    districting is an affront to progressives in other states that fought through
    time for statewide referendum, initiative, and recall.  These laws allow
    direct voter input and help to constrain politicians that out of touch with
    their constituents needs and beliefs or are especially beholding to special
    interests.  Thanks do the extreme power hungry nature of the state
    democratic party we do not have statewide initiative and recall and the party
    is doing its best to weaken the referendum process.  The state Democratic Party merely wants to
    raise the costs in terms of time and effort in signing a petition and increase
    the percentage of petitions thrown out do to signee error in putting the
    package together.   One possible improvement to referendum petition
    process would be to notify reported signers by email or mail.  The reported signee could then remove his name
    from the petition if his name is reported in error. 

    Please, no more politicians choosing the voter for partisan gain.  Anne Arundel County the fourth most populace
    county in the state is not the majority member of any congressional district.  The majority of District Four, the district
    that I reside in, is in Prince Georges County next to the DC line.  Our Representative Donna Edwards is from
    Washington and might need a GPS to find some of the Anne Arundel county component
    of her district.  In terms of promoting
    effect representation this makes no sense. 
    Excellent job by Judge Silkworth in ruling against the Democratic Party
    suit.  Hopefully the State Supreme Court
    does the same.   

    Paul Sundell

    Severna Park

  • Paul Sundell

    I am an Anne Arundel County Democrat who enthusiastically signed the redistricting petition.  The Maryland Democratic Party’s actions involving Maryland Congressional districting and its fighting of the referendum effort is a form of voter disenfranchisement and an affront to progressives in other states that fought through time for statewide referendum, initiative, and recall.  These laws allow direct voter input and help to constrain politicians that out of touch with their constituents needs and beliefs or are especially beholding to special interests.  Thanks do the extreme power hungry nature of the state Democratic Party we do not have statewide initiative and recall and the party is doing its best to weaken the referendum process.  The state Democratic Party merely wants to raise the costs in terms of time and effort to voters in signing a petition and increase the percentage of petitions thrown out do to signee error in putting the package together.   One possible improvement to the referendum petition process would be to notify reported signers by email or postal mail.  The reported signee could then remove his name from the petition if his name is reported in error.  Please, no more politicians either Republican or Democrat choosing their voters through redistricting for partisan gain.  Get redistricting out of the control of politicians.  Anne Arundel County the fourth most populace county in the state is not the majority member of any congressional district.  The majority of District Four, the district that I reside in, is in Prince Georges County next to the DC line.  Our Representative Donna Edwards is from Fort Washington and might need a GPS to find some of the Anne Arundel county component of her district.  In terms of promoting effective local representation this makes no sense.  Excellent job by Judge Silkworth in ruling against the Democratic Party suit.  Hopefully the State Supreme Court does the same.  
    I have strongly supported Democrats for national office through the years but I am disgusted with the Maryland Democratic Party’s extreme partisan redistricting efforts and its convoluted legal arguments against the redistricting referendum in state courts.  The true aggrieved party is voters who want local representation and sensible compact and contiguous districts that obey as much as possible county and natural boundaries.
    Paul Sundell
    Severna Park

  • Paul Sundell

    Nice
    to see the Maryland Supreme Court throw out the delusional Maryland Democratic
    Party suit against the redistricting referendum petitions.   Verghese blog headline should have read Maryland Democratic Party committed to gutting state referendum
    petition process. How dare Maryland
    voters attempt to get in the way of politicians choosing their voters for
    partisan gain?
    Paul SundellSeverna Park



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