My Frederick County, MD Ballot

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 October 25, 2012 column in The Frederick Gazette spells out why I do not support this proposed charter.

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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