Baltimore County Referendum Charter Amendment

The Referendum in Maryland is a petition option reserved for the citizens to have final say in whether legislation passed by our representatives becomes law. The citizens can petition a bill to referendum, which simply means that, if enough valid signatures are collected in the timeframe allowed, the bill will be placed on the ballot at the next election for a vote up or down by the people. The Referendum is the citizens veto power in the system of checks and balances.

The requirements for petitioning a bill to referendum in Maryland is difficult, requiring the number of signatures equal to 3% of those who voted in the last gubernatorial election.  Moreover, the rules for gathering and signing result in a high number of signatures being invalidated due to minor errors, such as leaving off one's middle initial.  And the timeframe for collection is very short.

In Baltimore County, the requirements are over three times more stringent, requiring a whopping 10%.  Maryland law allows the counties to set petition requirements up to the 10% limit, and Baltimore County has unfortunately opted for the maximum allowable.

This overwhelming signature requirement essentially leaves county citizens without a viable Referendum petition process and results in the disenfranchisement of many citizens.  

In addition, during the 2013 regular session of the Maryland General Assembly, two bills are being considered which will effectively destroy the viability of petitioning in Maryland, even on the county level.

We the citizens must have a viable petition process as our only recourse to overturn unwanted legislation.


To help, go to www.baltocopetitions.com.

Balto Co Human Relations Law with Bill 3-12 alterations

Below is the current language of the county Human Relations Law with the Bill 3-12 language merged in.

If the council makes no further amendments to Bill 3-12 (as of 2/5/12), and passes it, below will be the new language of the county Human Relations Law.  The language from Bill 3-12 is shown in an alternate typeface.

NEA/MSEA contributions to the sponsors of Balto Co's Transgender Bill

Verify info at the Maryland Board of Elections website here.

Return to Ann's Examiner.com article by clicking here.

The data below is from the Maryland Board of Elections campaign finance database.  It does not include contributions from 2010, as the reporting deadline was Feb. 18 and the data is not yet available online.  It will be updated when the data becomes available.

Contributor	Contributor Location	Recipient	Date	Amount	Campaign Cycle
THE NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN & PUBLIC ED (NON-FED ACCOUNT)	Washington DC	Baltimore County Victory Slate (Oliver, Quirk, Bevins)	10/25/06	$6,000.00	2006
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Committee to Elect Kenneth Oliver	10/6/10	$500.00	2010
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Committee to Elect Kenneth Oliver	9/8/06	$500.00	2006
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Committee to Elect Kenneth Oliver	11/1/06	$300.00	2006
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Committee to Elect Kenneth Oliver	7/4/11	$250.00	2014
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Committee to Elect Kenneth Oliver	6/23/10	$250.00	2010
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Committee to Elect Kenneth Oliver	5/11/06	$250.00	2006
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Committee to Elect Kenneth Oliver	5/9/05	$250.00	2006
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Friends of Tom Quirk	10/6/10	$500.00	2010
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Friends of Tom Quirk	7/26/10	$500.00	2010
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Friends of Vicki Almond	7/26/10	$750.00	2010
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Friends of Vicki Almond	6/4/10	$250.00	2010
MSEA Fund for Children and Public Education	Annapolis	Friends of Cathy Bevins	10/24/10	$500.00	2010
TOTAL				$10,800.00