Gov. Martin O’Malley’s campaign is using a bipartisan push for early voting to criticize Republican Bob Ehrlich for once opposing an early voting bill.
“It’s shameful that Bob Ehrlich opposed common-sense eforts to make it easier to vote,” Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said, claiming Ehrlich called early voting an “insult to Marylanders.”
“The real insult to Maryland voters would be to allow Maryland to slide backwards with another four years of Bob Ehrlich in the governor’s mansion.”
Ehrlich is now supportive of early voting, however, saying he will take full advantage of it.
For the primaries, early voting will run from Sept. 3 to Sept. 9. For the general election, Marylanders can cast early ballots between Oct. 22 and Oct. 28.
In May 2005, Ehrlich vetoed an early voting bill passed by the state legislature.
The legislature shot down Ehrlich’s veto in 2006, but the bill got tied up in courts over a disagreement on its constitutionality before it could be implemented.
The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the issue should go to voters — who overwhelmingly passed early voting in November 2008.
Maryland Democrat and Republican parties joined forces outside the State House in Annapolis on Thursday to encourage early voting.
“Early voting is a great way to increase participation in our democratic process and empower more Marylanders to make their voices heard,” O’Malley said in a prepared statement.
On Friday the governor and his wife, Katie, will vote in Baltimore and Brown will vote in Landover, according to the campaign.
