Citizens in Charge

The three-year-old saga of Maryland’s draconian requirement that petition signatures match exactly the signature on a voter’s registration card is not closer to resolution. An appeal to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals was denied Monday. The federal court decided to punt, saying there are no federal issues and sending the matter back once again to state court.

Legislation to fix the problem was submitted in 2009, 2010, and 2011, but has yet to pass. This year’s bill remains in a senate committee, and a recent decision from the state’s highest court failed to address the issue.

Maryland’s right to referendum will get another day in court later this year when a case originating from the Turf Valley Referendum goes to the state’s Court of Special Appeals. Activists Marc Norman and Angie Beltram explain that case in this video.