BREAKING NEWS
Is it too easy to petition a law to the voters?
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Posted: 11/09/2012
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -
Some lawmakers and Gov. Martin O'Malley are wondering: has the Internet made it too easy for citizens to petition a new law to the ballot?
Maryland voters decided in favor of three referred laws this week. Opponents to same-sex marriage, the Maryland Dream Act and the state's congressional redistricting map, successfully petitioned them to the ballot by collecting more than 55,736 signatures for each law.
Delegate Jon Cardin, a Democrat who chairs the House Ways and Means subcommittee on election law, says he would be open to discussing changes to the petition process.
But Delegate Neil Parrott, the Washington County Republican who chaired MDPetitions.com, says the process is still far from easy. He noted it had been 20 years since Maryland residents have voted on a referred law.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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