State lawmakers took another step in undoing a nearly two-decade old law that makes it difficult to remove Maryland’s top election official.
Sponsors of the bills including Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery) say the bill is not about a single person. One cannot, however, ignore that the changes working their way through the General Assembly undo what had come to be known colloquially as the “Linda Lamone for Life Act.”
Kagan, lead sponsor of Senate Bill 863, said the legislation treats the elections “administrator in the same way that every state employee is and makes it more accountable, more transparent. That’s what the bill will do. And it’s overdue.”
“No one else has that kind of job security. And no one should,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Maryland State Board of Elections declined to comment on the bills.
Current law arose from a 2005 dispute between then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and then Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. (D).
Ehrlich sought to use the board, which was controlled by his party by virtue of his election, to remove Lamone.
Miller fought back by passing legislation that limits the ability to remove the director, who, at that time, was Lamone.
Removal requires approval of four of five election board members — the governor’s party controls three seats — and it would not be official until the Senate confirms a replacement.
“It’s not about ousting a person,” said Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel), lead sponsor of House Bill 899, which is crossfiled with Kagan’s. “It’s about transparency. It’s about an absolutely unworkable appointment system. We did some research on this, and there is no other state that does things like this. So in 15 states, the chief state election official is appointed and the rest of the states are elected by the voters.”
Kagan’s and Jones’ bills effectively would unwind the current law and replace it with a system in which the elections director again serves at the pleasure of the board. A super majority could then hire or fire a director as it saw fit.
The Senate passed Kagan’s bill last week and it is now in the House. Jones’ bill received preliminary approval Tuesday and could get a final vote in the House this week.
LL too busy implementing ERIC nationwide to have any problems at home! “The Center for Public Integrity reported in October that the state has reported no cases of voter fraud since 2018 and few harassment or intimidation complaints during the 2020 presidential election.”