George Wenschhof
Upon
review of my absentee ballot, I was immediately struck by the number of
questions put forth to the voters.
Propositions
before the voters in west coast states is a common occurrence, but three constitutional
amendments, four referendums and a local question is rare in Maryland.
The
election choices for U.S. President, U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress
and Board of Education are standard and expected, along with casting one’s vote
on a Judge for circuit court and court of appeals.
I
highly recommend reading The Voter's Guide prepared by the nonpartisan League of
Women Voters of Frederick County. It is
a wonderful tool voters should use to help them sort out the ballot questions
prior to heading to the polls.
At
the top of the ballot, I will be adding my support to the reelection of President
Obama and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. They
both have earned the right to continue to serve and Maryland is a state where
both Democrats are heavily favored to win.
In
spite of four years of obstructionism by Republicans in Congress, President
Obama has managed to lead the country out of the Great Recession he inherited -
a result of Republican misguided policies of the previous administration. Over
the four years Obama has been in office unemployment has dropped from 10% to
under 8%.
The
President also led efforts to decimate al-Qaeda, ordered the mission into
Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, ended the U.S. involvement in Iraq and
will responsibly end the U.S. military role in Afghanistan by the end of
2014. These two unfunded wars added to
the nation’s deficit.
President
Obama deserves four more years and he has my vote.
Ben
Cardin has been a steady voice in the U.S. Senate and the country would be
better off if we had more like him.
My
vote for Congressional Representative in district 6 will go to Democratic
challenger John Delaney. My vote for Delaney is primarily a result of my
dissatisfaction of twenty years of ineffective representation by Republican
Roscoe Bartlett.
The
Board of Education contest, where you pick three candidates, was a no-brainer
for me as I marked in my vote for Zakir Bengali, Kathryn B. “Katie” Groth and
Joy Schaefer.
Voters
need to be aware they should not “throw away” their vote on candidate Tom Shade
whose name appears on the ballot as his withdrawal from candidacy, due to
health reasons, came too late for his name to be removed from the ballot. Mr. Shade has declared his support for
Bengali, Groth and Schaefer.
Newly
appointed Circuit Court Judge William Nicklas, a long term respected local
attorney, who is running unopposed, has my vote. He would have received my support even if he
had opposition.
Moving
into the ballot questions, the first two concern the archaic election of
Orphans’ Court Judges. I have argued for
some time, these positions should be appointed and not elected, as most
counties require no qualifications for the office.
Question
1 and 2 on the ballot require candidates for Orphans’ Court Judges in Prince
George’s County and Baltimore County to be admitted to practice law in this
state, and to be a member in good standing of the Maryland BAR.
The
reason these questions are on the ballot is this change requires a
constitutional amendment. Which means
voters from across the state must weigh in.
I am supporting this change.
But,
I believe the change should apply to all Orphans’ Court Judges who are elected
in the state.
The
third question has to do with nuances surrounding when an elected official,
found guilty of certain crimes, is suspended and removed from office. The ballot question reads in part “Under the
amended law, an elected official is suspended when found guilty and is removed
when the conviction becomes final or when the elected official pleads guilty or
no contest” and I support this.
Turning
the ballot over, Question 4 appears on the top left hand corner. Known as the “DREAM” Act, it establishes
individuals, including undocumented workers, eligible to pay in-state tuition,
provided among other conditions the individual files income taxes, applies for
permanent residency and registers with the selective service system.
This
makes sense and I am voting for it.
Republicans in Congress blocked this from becoming law when President
Obama proposed it, leading him to take executive action to implement this
program.
Statewide
redistricting is the subject for Question 5 and one only has to look at the
gerrymandered sixth congressional district which overwhelmingly favors
Democrats, to see the map approved by the state was egregious.
As
a Democrat, who has been frustrated with the ineffectiveness of Republican
Roscoe Bartlett for twenty years, I will nonetheless vote against the
redistricting.
I
opined in a column published April 2, 2012 in The Baltimore Sun, "To
ensure a more reasonable and balanced redistricting process across the country,
it would be sensible for Maryland and the rest of the states to adopt the
policy used by the handful of states that use an independent or bipartisan
committee.
This process, if adopted by all states, would aid in reducing the acrimony and
gridlock prevalent in Congress today. Perhaps, representatives would then be
elected who would work together to move America forward."
It
is way past time to support Same-Sex Marriage and I filled in “For the Referred
Law” on Question 6 on my Ballot; Civil Marriage Protection Act.
Interestingly,
when petitions were being gathered by those in opposition to this law, one
woman asked if I would sign the petition.
When I said no, she asked me if I was gay. I was taken aback with the
question and replied I did not understand why anyone would fear this law. “How does it hurt you”, I asked her, “if two
individuals of the same sex are able to be legally married and receive the same
benefits as you and I?”
Governor
O’Malley’s mistake in taking slots to referendum, instead of forcing state
legislators to do their job, is continuing to haunt the man who has his eyes
set on the White House.
The
roll out of statewide slots had been a disaster and with the authorization
coming as a result of a referendum and state constitution change, subsequent
changes require statewide referendums.
Prince
George’s County Executive Rushern Baker battled hard to get Question 7 “Gaming
Expansion” on the ballot. A measure, if
adopted, in part will allow a facility to operate in Prince George’s County.
I
voted “No” on this question. Not,
because I oppose gambling, as I see the multitude of daily lotteries in the
state to be more of the same.
I
oppose it because the manner gambling has been allowed in the state of Maryland
is cumbersome and will always create problems in the future.
Instead,
the General Assembly should take action on gambling, which would allow them to
make adjustments in the future in a much more effective manner than a
referendum.
The
last question on the ballot “Adoption of County Charter” also received my “Nay”
vote.
My
opposition comes primarily due to the proposed charter providing for a strong
elected executive and a hybrid part time council without the council having
enough authority over the budget proposed by the executive.
The
council should be elected either by district or at-large and they should hire
the executive, who could be replaced if they turned out to be incompetent.
The
proposed charter’s only requirement for the elected county executive is that they
meet a residency threshold and in Maryland there is no recall provision for inept
elected officials.
This
concludes how I am voting.
Whether,
you agree with me or not, make sure you cast your vote.
You
can vote early at the Frederick County Department of Aging/Frederick Senior
Center located at 1440 Taney Avenue in Frederick, Maryland.
On
Saturday October 27 and Monday October 29 through Thursday November 1, the
early voting center will be open from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM.
On
Sunday October 28 the hours are Noon – 6:00 PM.
On
the day of the General Election November 6, polling centers will be open from 7:00
AM - 8:00 PM.
If, you do not know where your poll is located, the Maryland State Board of Elections has made it easy for you to locate online - Just click here.
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