City of Baltimore - File #: 06-0210R

• File #: 06-0210R
• Version: 0
• Name: Emergency Resolution - Baltimore City Board of Elections - Election Day Glitches
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Failed - End of Term
• File created: 9/18/2006
• In control: City Council
• Final action: 12/5/2007
• Title: Emergency Resolution - Baltimore City Board of Elections - Election Day Glitches FOR the purpose of requesting the Baltimore City Director of Elections and the President of the Baltimore City Board of Elections to report to the City Council on the systemic problems that led to polling place difficulties that prevented, discouraged, or delayed the participation of Baltimore City residents in the electoral process on primary election day, to identify the cause of election day glitches, and to present a comprehensive plan for remedies to address human or mechanical errors to ensure that similar, other, or additional problems will not plague the upcoming general election of November 7, 2006.
• Sponsors: President Dixon, President Young, Robert Curran, James B. Kraft, Helen L. Holton, Rochelle Spector, Keiffer Mitchell, Edward Reisinger, Mary Pat Clarke, Agnes Welch, Kenneth Harris, Stephanie Rawlings Blake, Belinda Conaway, Paula Johnson Branch
• Indexes: Election Day, Resolution

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
9/21/2006	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
9/21/2006	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
9/21/2006	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
9/18/2006	0	City Council	Introduced
9/18/2006	0	City Council	Assigned
9/18/2006	0	Committee of the Whole	Scheduled for a Public Hearing

* 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: President Dixon, Councilmember Young
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Emergency Resolution - Baltimore City Board of Elections - Election Day Glitches

FOR the purpose of requesting the Baltimore City Director of Elections and the President of the Baltimore City Board of Elections to report to the City Council on the systemic problems that led to polling place difficulties that prevented, discouraged, or delayed the participation of Baltimore City residents in the electoral process on primary election day, to identify the cause of election day glitches, and to present a comprehensive plan for remedies to address human or mechanical errors to ensure that similar, other, or additional problems will not plague the upcoming general election of November 7, 2006.
Body
Recitals

Although the old election day joke in Baltimore is "vote early and often", neither one was possible on this September 12, 2006, primary election day, the first because it is illegal to vote more than once in the same election and the second because some polling places opened more than 3 hours late, thwarting the intent of workers who planned to vote before leaving to go to their jobs because they would be unable to make it to their designated polling place before closing time.

By 11:00 a.m., the major newspapers in town were reporting problems at the polls - "tardy election judges in Baltimore caused delays at dozens of polling places this morning prompting some candidates to call for extended hou...