In addition to voting for the next president of the United States, Marylanders will also be asked to weigh in on the following issues in the voting booth Nov. 6. There are currently three state constitutional amendments, three referendums and one additional question.
Constitutional Amendment: Qualifications for Prince George’s County Orphans’ Court Judges
Question 1 will read: Requires judges of the Orphans’ Court for Prince George’s County to be admitted to practice law in this State and to be a member in good standing of the Maryland Bar.
Voters will choose: FOR the Constitutional Amendment or AGAINST the Constitutional Amendment
Constitutional Amendment: Qualifications for Baltimore County Orphans’ Court Judges
Question 2 will read: Requires judges of the Orphans’ Court for Baltimore County to be admitted to practice law in this State and to be a member in good standing of the Maryland Bar.
Voters will choose: FOR the Constitutional Amendment or AGAINST the Constitutional Amendment
Constitutional Amendment: Suspension and Removal of Elected Officials
Question 3 will read: Changes the point at which an elected official charged with certain crimes is automatically suspended or removed from office. Under existing law, an elected official who is convicted or pleads no contest is suspended and is removed only when the conviction becomes final. Under the amended law, an elected official is suspended when found guilty and is removed when the conviction becomes final or when the elected official pleads guilty or no contest.
Voters will choose: FOR the Constitutional Amendment or AGAINST the Constitutional Amendment
Referendum Petition: Public Institutions of Higher Education – Tuition Rates
Question 4 will read: Establishes that individuals, including undocumented immigrants, are eligible to pay in-state tuition rates at community colleges in Maryland, provided the student meets certain conditions relating to attendance and graduation from a Maryland high school, filing of income taxes, intent to apply for permanent residency, and registration with the selective service system (if required); makes such students eligible to pay in-state tuition rates at a four-year public college or university if the student has first completed 60 credit hours or graduated from a community college in Maryland; provides that students qualifying for in-state tuition rates by this method will not be counted as in-state students for purposes of counting undergraduate enrollment; and extends the time in which honorably discharged veterans may qualify for in-state tuition rates.
Voters will choose: FOR the Referred Law or AGAINST the Referred Law
Referendum Petition: Congressional Districting Plan
Question 5 will read: Establishes the boundaries for the State’s eight United States Congressional Districts based on recent census figures, as required by the United States Constitution.
Voters will choose: FOR the Referred Law or AGAINST the Referred Law
Referendum Petition: Civil Marriage Protection Act
Question 6 will read: Establishes that Maryland’s civil marriage laws allow gay and lesbian couples to obtain a civil marriage license, provided they are not otherwise prohibited from marrying; protects clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs; affirms that each religious faith has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith; and provides that religious organizations and certain related entities are not required to provide goods, services, or benefits to an individual related to the celebration or promotion of marriage in violation of their religious beliefs.
Voters will choose: FOR the Referred Law or AGAINST the Referred Law
Gaming Expansion Referendum: Gaming Expansion
Question 7 will read: Do you favor the expansion of commercial gaming in the State of Maryland for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education to authorize video lottery operation licensees to operate “table games” as defined by law; to increase from 15,000 to 16,500 the maximum number of video lottery terminals that may be operated in the State; and to increase from 5 to 6 the maximum number of video lottery operation licenses that may be awarded in the State and allow a video lottery facility to operate in Prince George’s County?
Voters will choose: FOR the Additional Forms and Expansion of Commercial Gaming or AGAINST the Additional Forms and Expansion of Commercial Gaming
Several counties will have additional local ballot questions. Visit the state Board of Elections website to view county-specific ballot questions.
