Maryland
Legislators like State Senator Frank Morse (R – Albany) and State Representative Larry Galizio (D – Tigard) Larry are talking about reforming the initiative process. For one thing, both want to give the Legislature a chance to review and react to any proposed initiative before it goes to the ballot; once signatures were gathered, the measure would not go directly to the voters, but would go to the Legislature first.
In addition, according to the Register-Guard:
Montgomery County’s anti-tax ballot measure prevailed yesterday by about 5,000 votes, after election officials completed a count of absentee ballots.
The results give sponsor Robin Ficker, a onetime legislator and Bethesda real estate broker, his first victory in a 34-year quest to curb county taxes. But the practical effect for at least the next two years, according to county officials, is largely academic.
A union that represents county employees, including 911 operators, public health nurses and sheriff’s deputies, wants county voters to have a chance to approve a provision giving them binding arbitration in negotiations with the county.
But county officials and the union that represents teachers are questioning tactics being used by an out-of-state firm hired to obtain signatures for the ballot question.
Gov. Martin O’Malley proposed Friday a referendum on slots that would allow up to 15,000 machines in five Maryland locations – including Baltimore – and hand the decision to voters after years of legislative deadlock.