LWV Of Maryland

This story was originally published by Public News Service.

For the national results, Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, said the closer the election, the longer it will take for networks to project a winner. Another factor is the rules governing the counting process vary from state to state.
 

Civic education and involvement are key to a healthy American democracy. Included are stories from states across the country about the importance of civic engagement and the work that they are doing to promote it. 

This blog highlights work in Florida, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

Today, Montgomery County Judge Bonifant ruled in favor of a petition put forward by the Maryland State Board of Elections to enable pre-processing of mail-in ballots for the November general elections. Common Cause Maryland, the ACLU of Maryland, League of Women Voters of Maryland, Maryland PIRG, on behalf of the Everyone Votes Maryland coalition offered congratulations to the State Board of Elections on their successful legal bid to ensure timely election results in the aftermath of the November general elections.

The 2021 redistricting cycle was the first one without the full protection of the Voting Rights Act. Without federal oversight, many states and local municipalities have used this advantage to implement racially gerrymandered maps, i.e. district lines that limit the voting power of voters of color.

With the new year comes more litigation. In the past year, the League has continued our work of fighting against anti-voter bills and purges, challenges to new district maps, and pushing back against the increased attacks on reproductive rights. Here are a handful of the issues you may want to keep an eye on in 2022. 

In the federal court challenge to an illegal redistricting plan, brought by Black voters in Baltimore County and several civil rights organizations, Federal Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby granted a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of the County’s plan and ordering them to submit a new plan that complies with the Voting Rights Act by March 8.