* 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: Council President Young
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
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In Support of State Legislation - House Bill 250 - Baltimore City Election Dates
FOR the purpose of supporting the passage of House Bill 250, and similar legislation in the State Senate, to improve elections for City offices by allowing them to be held in Presidential election years.
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Recitals
Currently, elections for Baltimore City officials are held every four years in the year between Maryland’s gubernatorial and Presidential elections. These stand alone elections cost the City millions of dollars, but have been attracting the involvement of an increasingly small percentage of City voters in recent cycles.
The record low voter turnout in last year’s City election, combined with projections of shortfalls in the City’s budget for the foreseeable future, serves to highlight the fact that continuing these off-year elections is not in Baltimore’s best interest. In fact the citizens of Baltimore voted once before to do away with stand alone City elections. This vote resulted in a City election in 2004, a Presidential election year, that cost the City essentially nothing and had a 70% voter turnout for the mayoral vote.
Unfortunately, a State law that would not allow primary elections for the City in the Presidential election year forced Baltimore to return to off-year elections. To address this, legislation has been introduced this year in both Baltimore and ...
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