June 2018 Newsletter
With under a month left until the 2018 Democratic Primary Election, I wanted to ensure that you were aware of some upcoming important dates regarding our election.
Deadline to Register to Vote
The deadline to register to vote is tomorrow Tuesday, June 5th. Please visit the Prince George’s County Board of Elections website to learn how to register to vote, which can be done in person at the MVA locations in Prince George’s County or at the Board of Elections Office in Largo. You can also register to vote online by clicking HERE.
Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot
The deadline to request an absentee ballot with a paper application is Tuesday, June 19th and Friday, June 22nd if you request an Electronic Absentee Ballot. Please click HERE for instructions on how to request an absentee ballot and how to complete your absentee ballot.
Early Voting
Early Voting for the 2018 Democratic Primary begins on Thursday, June 14th and ends on Thursday, June 21st. You can vote early from 8:00am-8:00pm at any of the 11 Early Vote Centers in Prince George’s County. If you want to avoid long lines on Election Day, I encourage you to vote early!
2018 Democratic Primary Election Day
The 2018 Democratic Primary will take place on Tuesday, June 26th. Please confirm your polling place by clicking HERE as they occasionally change. The polls will be open on Election Day from 7:00am-8:00pm.
Over the past two years, I have been proud to lead the effort to reform the electoral process and system in Maryland as the Chair of the Election Law Subcommittee in the House of Delegates. Under my leadership, I have helped pass numerous bills that will protect our elections from foreign intereference and expand voter access.
Click below to read more about these initiatives! For more information on the upcoming Democratic Primary Election, please contact me directly.
Expanding Voter Access in Maryland
As other states continue to restrict voting access, this year, I helped pass two initiatives that will provide new opportunities to encourage the 500,000 unregistered voters in Maryland to participate in our elections.
First, Maryland became the 18th state in the country to implement same-day voter registration to allow unregistered voters to register on Election Day at the polls. This legislation will appear as a ballot initiative on the November 2018 ballot, so if you support this idea, I encourage you vote for it!
This year, I also strongly advocated for legislation to implement automatic voter registration. Now, instead of “opting-in” to register to vote when you are at the MVA, the Health Care Exchanges, or social services offices, you will automatically be registered with the option to “opt-out”. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, automatic voter registration saves money, increases the accuracy of voter rolls, and boosts voter participation. With the passage of this legislation, Maryland joined a diverse and bipartisan group of 10 other states and Washington, D.C. that are leading the national movement for automatic voter registration.
Protecting Our Democracy from Foreign Interference
In the 2016 election, Russians attempted to hack Maryland’s voter registration system. While the federal government refused to protect our elections, I led the effort to address the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Maryland’s election systems.
Just two weeks ago, legislation I passed became law without the Governor’s signature to require online platforms – such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google – to retain and disclose information on online political ads. In 2016, Maryland was specifically targeted by 262 online political ads funded by the Russians. Due to my bill, Maryland became the first state in the country to impose such regulations on these online platforms, so we can track and prevent these attempts by Russia and other foreign entities from manipulating our democracy and interfering in our elections.
Unfortunately, State lawmakers and the public were not informed of above referenced interference in our elections until seven months after it occurred. Because of legislation I proposed, lawmakers and the public will immediately be informed of any “security incident” involving the State’s election systems. My legislation also protects the privacy of online ballots and ensures that hard records are maintained if hackers attempt to alter the online voter registration records.
In 2016, I worked hard to ensure we had the votes to override the Governor’s veto of legislation that expanded the right to vote to 40,000 tax-paying Marylanders who had previously been disenfranchised.
For more information on this legislation, click HERE to read an op-ed I wrote with my colleague, Del. Cory McCray, on how restoring voting rights to those returning from prison has been directly linked to reducing recidivism and provides an incentive to positively contribute to society.