St. Mary's proposes Leonardtown site for 2010 early voting

Balloting extended next year

Friday, Oct. 9, 2009

Early voting will allow voters to cast ballots from the second Friday before the primary and general elections through the Thursday before the election, excluding Sunday.

The issue was roiled in partisan politics in 2005 as Republicans saw it as a way to increase Democratic turnout and opened the door to voter fraud. The state's highest court ruled in 2006 that the law passed by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly was unconstitutional.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum in 2008 to expand the amount of time polling places are open.

The number of early voting locations in each county is based on the number of registered voters. Counties with fewer than 150,000 will have only one center, those with more than 300,000 must pick five polling stations and those in between get three venues.

St. Mary's County has proposed having its early voting center in the former commissioners' meeting room in the Potomac Building in Leonardtown, said acting elections director Susan Julian.

Early voting in Calvert County will take place at the Community Resources Building in Prince Frederick — formerly the public library — pending approval from the county attorney and the state board, said Mary L. DePelteau, assistant to the elections administrator.

County Attorney Emanuel Demedis must determine whether electioneering at a county-owned building would be allowed. The site meets a number of vital criteria, including its central location, access to public transit, ample parking and security, DePelteau said.

Charles County, which will also have one early voting center, has not yet determined where it will be.

The state board has until March 15 to designate all local early voting centers.

abrody@somdnews.com