Election Integrity Maryland put out a press release today detailing their opposition to the recommendations set forth by the Montgomery County “Right to Vote Task Force” and urging people to go to the hearing where the Task Force’s Recommendations will be presented on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 7:30pm in the Council Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850.  You can read the entire press release below:

 

Election Integrity Maryland Expresses Strong Opposition to Some Recommendations by the Montgomery County Council’s “Right to Vote Task Force” – Demands Halt to their Actions in Effort to Preserve Election Integrity and Uphold U.S. Constitution

The election integrity organization alerts public, state and federal officials to clear violations of the U.S. Constitution and electoral law in recommendations, invites all Concerned Citizens to attend a Hearing set for September 23, 2014 at 7:30 pm

ROCKVILLE, MD – September 17, 2014Election Integrity Maryland (EIM) announces today that it strongly objects to certain recommendations developed by the Montgomery County Council’s “Right to Vote Task Force” on June 4, 2014, that leave the door wide open to voter fraud, as well as present flagrant violations of federal and electoral laws, as well as the U.S. Constitution.

The Task Force’s recommendations will be presented in a Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 7:30pm in the Council Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850.  EIM strongly encourages Concerned Citizens to attend and testify at this meeting in an effort to stop this outrageous violation of the law and our electoral process. Those interested may register to testify by calling (240) 777-7803.

These recommendations present a perfect recipe for fraud, particularly the call to allow non-citizen voting, and online voter registration with no ID, in clear violation of The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, known as the “NVRA” and “Motor Vehicle Act” that allows citizens to maintain and manage their voter registration through the MVA. Further, it is the law in all 50 states that voter eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens only.

Convened as the County Council’s response to gather insights into the causes of low voter turnout numbers, the Task Force set to work to remedy the problem by proposing a host of methods, including enabling early voting, extending the voting time from 6 to 8 days, and even allowing same-day voter registration during early voting to be implemented in the 2016 election. However, even more disturbing than all of these, several of the Task Force’s other recommendations go even further to set the stage for large-scale fraud and violations of electoral process in a state that has already long been plagued with issues in this area, including documented recent cases of non-citizen and double voting that have yet to be prosecuted.

 Some key highlights of the Task Force’s recommendations include the following:

  • Modifications to the current online voter registration system to allow individuals without IDs issued by the Motor Vehicle Administration to register to vote online by electronic signature;
  • Revision to the existing laws to allow individuals without a driver’s license, state-issued ID, OR touchscreen/electronically captured signature to still receive a postcard to register to vote by mail. If this is not passed, the Task Force then suggests Maryland accept online registration information from applicants who will then complete their registration forms and submit them by mail;
  • Requesting the State of Maryland to allow each county to determine its own public policy with respect to allowing non-citizens with permanent resident visas to vote in county elections – a very clear violation of the U.S. Constitution;
  • Recommendations to encourage the Maryland General Assembly to pass an amendment to the state constitution to legalize Same-Day Election Registration, which presents clear and significant issues with verifying voter eligibility prior to allowing votes to be cast; and
  • Ranked-Choice voting in county elections, which will complicate the voting process overall and present more opportunity for error and fraudulent activity;
  • Re-districting for state and local elections, but not the U.S. Congress, which fails to address the significant existing gerrymandering issues; and
  • Lowering the voting age in Maryland from 18 to 16 for county elections. This presents clear issues of judgment, maturity, and instances of candidates pandering to young voters and preying on their innocence to secure votes around popular issues of this age group’s concern, i.e. legalizing marijuana, lowering the drinking age, etc.

Additional information and a full list of the Task Force’s recommendations is available at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/Resources/Files/REPORTS/RightToVoteTaskForce/RightToVoteTaskForceReport.pdf

“It is essential that all Concerned Citizens rally around this issue and help us stop the “Right to Vote Task Force” from succeeding in the passage of these recommendations.” said Cathy Kelleher, President of Election Integrity Maryland. “Stopping this activity is crucial to preserving our legacy for free and fair elections, upholding state and federal laws, and most importantly, the U.S. Constitution! Please join with us to stop these flagrant invitations to voter fraud from becoming realities at the Hearing on September 23rd!”

 

About Election Integrity Maryland (EIM)

Election Integrity Maryland (EIM) is a non-partisan, non-profit citizen initiative dedicated to upholding free and fair elections. A 501 (c)(4) organization, EIM exists to promote integrity throughout the voting process in Maryland, thereby enhancing the public’s confidence in its voting franchise in local, state and federal elections.EIM seeks to support the efforts of Maryland’s various Boards of Elections in their effort to maintain voter integrity, as well as the interests of Maryland voters. For more information about EIM, please visit: www.ElectionIntegrityMaryland.com