* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Henry
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
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Request for State Action - Nonpartisan Municipal Primary Elections
FOR the purpose of calling on the General Assembly to enact, and the Governor to sign, legislation authorizing the voters of Baltimore City to adopt a nonpartisan primary election system to ensure inclusive and democratic elections for City officials.
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Recitals
Baltimore is about to enter its first municipal election year under its newly aligned election cycle. The change from off-year elections to elections in Presidential election years was intended to halt and reverse a longstanding decline in voter participation rates and encourage more Baltimoreans to be involved in selecting their leaders.
Although it is hoped that this change will bring more voters to the polls, another oddity of Baltimore elections, the partisan primary system, will prevent many of them from having a meaningful say in who will represent them in City Hall.
Baltimore, unlike most major cities, selects party candidates for the general election through partisan primaries. Since Baltimore voters are overwhelmingly registered Democrats, and no non-Democrat has been elected to a major City office for decades, this effectively means that the preferences of Baltimore?s thousands of non-Democratic voters have no impact on the selection of our leaders.
Equally troubling, t...
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