Early Voting Referendum Fiscal Impact Statement Requested

September 10, 2008

Ms Linda LaMone, Chair
State Board of Elections
info@elections.state.md.us
151 West Street , Suite 200
P.O. Box 6486
Annapolis 21401-0486

Re: Early Voting Referendum

Dear Ms. LaMone:

A fiscal impact statement for the Early Voting referendum item is conspicuously absent from this particular legislative intent to amend state laws. Enactment of Early Voting would extend voting periods for an additional 10 days over a 14 day period at all 24 geographical jurisdictions. It would also open up roughly 21 special voting stations in certain counties that would require poll workers for 10 days. Despite these plans it appears that there has been a major fiscal oversight on this particular ballot question item. It is difficult to imagine that the price tag for staffing polls for time periods beyond the traditional one-day practice, coupled with voting machine security during extended periods, plus space costs for the extra polling places, would amount to substantially higher costs for Maryland taxpayers (if the Early Voting is approved by voters).

Taxpayers deserve to know the statewide cost implications linked to adopting Early Voting as sought by Maryland legislators. To deprive taxpayers of such information would be patently unfair. It is therefore requested that you, in your capacity, defer the sign-off on this ballot item until you obtain cost projections from all 24 voting jurisdictions, and accordingly, fashion and publish the requested financial impact statement. In light of economic uncertainties and budgetary shortfalls, taxpayers have every right to know this crucial information. Your office should accordingly provide prospective voters with operational cost totals of the last prior election compared to projected costs for implementing Early Voting, particularly when any Marylander can vote by absentee ballot for any reason at no additional cost. That’s the only fair way voters can weigh the luxury of additional voting time versus a measure having major state and county tax cost consequences.

Respectfully,

Dee Hodges, Chairman
mdtaxes@comcast.net
410-665-4769

Herb McMillan, President
Navyrugby80@aim.com
443-822-0974

QUESTION #1 – CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

(Chapter 513, Acts of 2007)

Early Voting; Polling Places; Absentee Ballots

Authorizes the General Assembly to enact legislation to allow qualified voters to vote at polling places inside or outside of their election districts or wards and to vote up to two weeks before an election. This amendment also authorizes the General Assembly to enact legislation to allow absentee voting by qualified voters who choose to vote by absentee ballot, in addition to voters who are absent at the time of the election or who are unable to vote personally.

(Amends Article 1, §§1 and 3 of the Maryland Constitution)

For the Constitutional Amendment

Against the Constitutional Amendment