Baltimore officials and citizens were shocked at the low turnout of voters in the primary and general elections of Baltimore City officials in 2011. Inasmuch as these were purely city elections, the city bore the cost of over $3 million. Efforts to eliminate separate city elections to achieve greater voter turnout and save the city money are now being played out in the Maryland General Assembly which must make the final decision.

The ongoing debate is: Should we have Baltimore municipal elections at the same time we vote for president or when we vote for governor? Because Baltimore City voters are almost 90 percent registered Democrats, the primary election determines the winner. In the presidential and gubernatorial primaries held from 2000 to 2010, more city voters came out for the gubernatorial primaries than the presidential primaries except for the “Obama surge” in the 2008 primary.

Presidential primaries in Maryland are held the first week of April (early voting starts in last week of March). If our city officials were on the ballot, we would be electing them a good nine months before they take office. Candidates would be campaigning in mid-winter. Under the gubernatorial cycle, the primary election is the last week of June.

Would combining Maryland and Baltimore City offices on the same ballot overwhelm the average city voter? It obviously does not for voters in every county in Maryland, which has its elections on the gubernatorial cycle.

The presidential cycle does give our city officials one advantage: They can run for state office without fear of losing their jobs if they fail, and vice versa for state officials running for city offices. We and many other Baltimore citizens look on this practice with disfavor. Local officials in Baltimore County, Howard County and all other counties of Maryland can’t do that because they are on the gubernatorial cycle.

As the debate over gubernatorial vs. presidential cycles for Baltimore City continues in Annapolis, we urge Baltimore citizens to speak out for the gubernatorial cycle.

Dr. Marvin C. Cheatham, Sr.
President
National Action Network – Greater Baltimore Chapter

Millie Tyssowski
President
Baltimore Election Change Coalition (nine nonprofit organizations in Baltimore)