Educating voters about their early-voting options will go hand-in-hand with door-knocking this election season, state Democrats said Thursday.
Members of the state Democratic Party and leaders of the General Assembly Black Caucus began their education campaign outside the Clarence “Du” Burns Arena in Canton, one of three designated early-voting locations in Baltimore City.
Politicians and party workers plan to distribute leaflets about early voting, and they rolled out an information hot line for voters to call to learn more about early-voting locations and times.
“When so many people have waited in line after the polls closed, have been turned away for one reason or another, we now have what 35 other states already have,” said U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings.
Terry Lierman, Maryland Democratic Party chairman, called on Republicans to put aside partisan rhetoric and organize asimilar early-voting education campaign.
But Audra Miller, spokeswoman for the Maryland Republican Party, said the party had no plans for fliers or phone numbers to promote early voting. “We?ve been educating Republicans since this was proposed about how Democrats plan to commit fraud,” Miller said.
Republicans opposed the early-voting bill in the General Assembly, arguing the polling locations favored Democrats by being in areas known to be Democratic strongholds.
A petition drive to put the issue of early voting on the November ballot failed, but Republicans sued, saying the state Board of Elections rejected valid signatures and failed to count some that got lost in the mail.
A judge last week upheld the decision. Marylanders for Fair Elections have appealed, and the Maryland Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear the case July 25.
Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George?s counties, and Baltimore City will have three early-voting locations open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 5 to Sept. 9 for the primary election, and again Oct. 31 to Nov. 4. Voters will also be allowed to vote by mail beginning two to three weeks before the election.
