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Senate Republicans' vote proposals fail |
The Baltimore Sun
Capital Notebook
Originally published March 30, 2006
Senate lawmakers engaged in a grueling partisan debate yesterday over
voting procedures for the fall elections. Republicans unsuccessfully
sought to adopt measures they said would safeguard against fraud, while
Democrats accused the GOP of trying to suppress voter turnout.
The Senate adopted legislation to provide more polling places on
college campuses, sending it to the governor's desk. But the most
heated discussion was over a flurry of amendments offered by
Republicans that opened a broader debate over the state's voting
policies.
Many Republicans expressed anger over previously adopted legislation
that would enable voters to receive absentee ballots for any reason, to
vote through provisional ballots if their names were not on file at
polling places, and to cast votes in some precincts that would be open
for five days before Election Day.
In a last-minute scramble, conservative lawmakers offered proposals to
delay early voting and require voters to show identification at polls,
among others. But their attempts were rejected.
Sen. Sandra B. Schrader, a Howard County Republican, attempted an
amendment that would require the state to ditch its current electronic
voting machines in favor of a one-year lease of an optical scan system
that offers paper verification. The amendment was identical to a
measure passed unanimously by the House two weeks ago, requiring
Maryland to use a paper ballot system this fall.
But the issue is still being debated by a Senate committee.
Sen. Paula C. Hollinger, a Democrat from Baltimore County and
chairwoman of the education health and environmental affairs committee,
said yesterday that the legislature will pass a bill requiring a voting
system with a paper trail, but the committee is mulling its options.
"We are trying to reach a consensus on what we can do," she said. "But
we will pass a paper trail that will go into effect this fall."
[Kelly Brewington]
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