Maryland's back-and-forth over the pre-processing of mail-in ballots is over, as the state's highest court has weighed in.

Earlier this year the Maryland Legislature passed a bill to permit the pre-processing of mail-in ballots, but the measure was vetoed by Gov. Larry Hogan.

In September, the state Board of Elections filed a petition in circuit court seeking emergency relief after the increase in mail-in ballots during the July primary led to delays in reporting election results.

Judge James Bonifant overturned the state law, and the pre-processing of ballots was set to begin Oct. 1. Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox appealed the decision first to the Special Court of Appeals, and when unsuccessful there, to the state Court of Appeals, which on Friday cleared the way for the pre-processing of mail-in ballots to begin as they are received.

Emily Scarr, director of the Maryland Public Interest Research Group, said the change being sought was not a partisan issue.

"The board of elections is a Republican board of elections, right? It's three Republicans, two Democrats, appointed by Hogan," Scarr pointed out. "Generally, they act in a bipartisan manner. The support for pre-processing was unanimous."

While the processing of ballots will be ongoing, election results will not be released before the polls close on Election Day.

Mail-in voting in Maryland has become popular of late. The increase in ballots in the July primary was 10 times greater than in 2018. The Board of Elections court filing said the issue was one of "stark mathematical reality" and pointed to the fact 345,000 mail-in ballots in the July primary took 36 days to tabulate.

Scarr does not see the trend toward mail-in voting slowing down.

"Once voters started voting by mail, they liked it," Scarr observed. "We have seen a surge in vote by mail, both through voter choice as well as the ongoing pandemic."

Mail-in ballot requests for the November general election currently stand at 484,000.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Washingtonians will soon find it even easier to register to vote.

Passed this session, Senate Bill 5112 automatically makes people applying for enhanced driver's licenses eligible to vote.

Alex Alston, consultant for the Washington Voting Justice Coalition, said a number of communities in the state will benefit from the legislation.

"We know that Black and brown communities and folks with socio-economic barriers are often those who are left out of the system," Alston pointed out. "Moving towards a more automatic voter registration system is something that the state's been working towards."

While Washington has made it easy to vote in many respects, including with all-mail elections, lawmakers say nearly 1 million eligible Washingtonians are not registered. After registering them, the state will send a notice in the mail giving people the chance to opt out.

The measure only applies automatic voter registration to people who prove their U.S. citizenship. Alston noted it ensures people not eligible to vote are not inadvertently signed up.

"We don't want inadvertent mistakes that would have negative immigration consequences for someone or their families," Alston emphasized.

Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, Nevada and Oregon have adopted similar automatic registration measures. The law goes into effect July 23.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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Local activists will rally in Boston Common tomorrow to urge Congress to lift the debt ceiling without cuts to social programs in return.

President Joe Biden has rejected a House bill which would have raised the debt limit but cut spending on programs Democrats deem vital to working families.

Debbie Paul, chairperson of the Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition, said lawmakers have a duty to raise the debt ceiling without restrictions.

"Negotiating on budget is done at budget time, not when it comes to raising the debt ceiling," Paul argued. "Because that applies to spending that has already been approved and monies that have been spent."

Paul added local activists will rally to support Massachusetts' Democrats, including Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., to resist what they call "extremist MAGA demands," which could send the U.S. into a historic default. Republicans say it is irresponsible to burden future generations with increasing amounts of debt.

House Republicans are seeking more work requirements for people who receive federal nutrition assistance and Medicaid benefits who do not have children, which they claim would help with the nation's worker shortage.

Paul countered those types of cuts would jeopardize some of the most vulnerable citizens in the Commonwealth.

"They want to do away with some more food subsidies for children," Paul pointed out. "They want to do away with energy assistance programs for the elderly."

Paul added the Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition would support President Biden using his constitutional authority to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling, which now stands at more than $31 trillion. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Congress needs to reach a deal by June 1 before the U.S. can no longer pay its bills.

Voter registration rates in the U.S. hit a record high in last year's midterm elections, according to the latest census data.

Registration rates rose to more than 69% of the citizen voting-age population, up more than 2% from the 2018 midterms.

Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, said research shows increasing political polarization leads to greater voter interest and turnout.

"If people get very dissatisfied with those who are in power or who are running for office they are much more likely to vote," Tentarelli explained.

Voter turnout in the 2022 midterms was down by more than 1% compared to the 2018 midterms. For those who were registered in 2022 but did not vote, the most common reason was "too busy" due to a "conflicting work or school schedule," which voting rights advocates say is even greater incentive to make Election Day a national holiday.

Voting advocates said getting eligible voters ages 18 to 29 to the polls remains the biggest challenge. In New Hampshire, eligible voters are required to register in-person at their town clerk's office or at the polls on Election Day.

Tentarelli acknowledged younger voters handle most of their business online and would prefer to register to vote online, too.

"So until we make that possible I think we're missing out on young people who care about the issues," Tentarelli noted.

Just 27% of voters ages 18 to 29 voted in last year's midterm, which was still the second-highest youth voter turnout rate in three decades. Tentarelli predicted even greater numbers of voters of all ages and from both parties will take part in the 2024 elections, even though the slate of candidates has yet to be determined.


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