MARYLAND VOTER GUIDE A YALLA VOTE 2016 STATE VOTER GUIDE.

Transcription

1 MARYLAND 2016 VOTER GUIDE A YALLA VOTE 2016 STATE VOTER GUIDE

2 2016 aai maryland Voter Guide OVERVIEW This November, Maryland voters will have the opportunity to elect officials for the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The Arab American population of Maryland has grown significantly over the last decade, the portion who identified as having Arabicspeaking ancestry on U.S. Census surveys grew by more than 50% between 2000 and Arab Americans in Maryland reside in all of the 24 counties in the state, with the greatest number of Arab Americans living in Montgomery County. The largest component of the Arab American community in the state has Lebanese or Egyptian roots and the largest number of new Arab immigrants to Maryland came from Iraq, Egypt, and Morocco. Of Maryland s 11 congressional districts, only one is currently held by a Republican Maryland s first district by Rep. Andy Harris, who is up for reelection. The remaining 10 are Democrats. The only Representative that is not up for reelection is Congresswoman Donna Edwards, who currently serves Maryland s 4th District. Rep. Edwards relinquished her seat to run for U.S. Senate following Sen. Barbara Mikulski s announcement she would retire after 30 years of public service. Rep. Edwards competed against Rep. Chris Van Hollen for the Democratic nomination for Senate before losing to Van Hollen in Maryland s state primary held in April. This November, Anthony Brown and George McDermott will be on the ballot to represent Maryland s 4th District in the House of Representatives. Senator Mikulski s seat will be contested by Rep. Van Hollen and Kathy Szeliga. Maryland voters will not have to participate in a gubernatorial election in 2016, and Senator Benjamin Cardin s seat will not be up for reelection until Arab Americans in Maryland reside in all of the 24 counties in the state, with the greatest number of Arab Americans living in Montgomery County. arab american DEMOGRAPHICS AAI Estimate 76,446 state rank 15 population by county (2013) montgomery County 22,294 baltimore County 9,959 prince george s county 5,325 baltimore city 5,269 howard County 4,459 *Research by AAI and Zogby International suggest that the number above is likely significantly lower than the actual number o f Arab Americans in the state. The American Community Survey identifies only a portion of the Arab population through a question on ancestry. Reasons for the undercount include the placement of and limit of the ancestry question (as distinct from race and ethnicity); the effect of the sample methodology o n small, unevenly distributed ethnic groups; high levels of out-marriage among the third and fourth generations; and distrust/misunderstanding of government surveys among recent immigrants. Sources: American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates(2014), American Community Survey 5-Year estimates (2010), 2000 US Census U.S. Census Bureau; Yearbook of Immigration Statistics Office of Immigration Statistics, Department of Homeland Security

3 2016 aai maryland Voter Guide general election General Election Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Polls OPEN at 6 AM and CLOSE at 7 PM Maryland State Board of Elections P.O. Box 6486 Annapolis, MD P: (410) F: (410) DEADLINES Voter Registration: October 18, 2016 Early Voting: October 27 - November 3, 2016 Absentee Application: November 1-4, 2016 Absentee Ballot: November 8, 2016 REGISTER TO VOTE Online Voter registration can be done on the Maryland Board of Elections website. You may also find your polling place and submit any information changes to your voter file, such as your home address. Voter registration should be submitted online by 9:00 PM on October 18, In-Person Registration can be done at several public offices including: Local board of elections State Board of Elections Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Department of Social Services Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) Offices on Aging MTA Paratransit Certification Office Public institutions of higher education Recruitment offices of the U.S. Armed Forces Marriage license offices Offices of students with disabilities at all Maryland colleges and universities Voter registration applications will not be processed without the provision of a Maryland driver s license, MVA ID Card, or social security number. Voters may also register in person at an early voting center in the county in which they live. In order to register at an early voting center, you must bring a document that provides proof of address. Acceptable documents for providing proof of address: MVA-issued license ID card Change of address card Paycheck Bank statement Utility bill Other government document with your name and new address By Mail An application for voter registration may be printed online and mailed to the State Board of Elections or to your local county s Board of Elections. The application cannot be submitted without an original signature and it also may not be faxed or ed. absentee voting Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot. Applications for absentee voting can be done online, in-person at a local board of elections, or by mail. An application for absentee voting can be found on the Maryland Board of Elections website in English and Spanish. To receive your absentee ballot by mail in time for General Election, be sure to submit your application by November 1, If you would like your ballot to be available by download from the Maryland Board of Elections website, submit your application by November 4, If you hand in your application in-person to your local board of elections, you may take your ballot with you that same day. The ballot may be filled out in-person and handed to an election official or mailed to the board of elections. Another individual may also be designated to pick up your ballot for you. This person must submit your application, pick up your ballot, and deliver it to you. An Absentee Ballot Designation of Agent Form is available online and at your local board of elections.

4 2016 aai Maryland Voter Guide Returning your ballot may be done in two ways, by hand or by mail. A voted ballot cannot be submitted online, by fax, or at an early polling location. If you hand in your ballot, it must be delivered to your local board of elections by 8:00 PM on Election Day. If you mail your ballot, the envelope must be postmarked and received on or before the day of the election by 10:00 AM on November 8, EARLY VOTING Maryland voters may cast their ballots before the day of the General Election. Early voting places are open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM between Thursday, October 27, 2016 and Thursday, November 3, Individuals may vote even if they are not yet registered, but must register the same day. Materials required to register and vote the same day during the early voting period are listed above and on the Maryland Board of Elections website. If you have a change of address, this can be reestablished during early voting as long as you bring a document providing your new address. Changes of party affiliation or name must be made after the election. If your name has changed and you did not file a name change with the board of elections before election day, you must vote using your former name. CONVICTED FELONS Effective March 10, 2016, if you have been convicted of a felony, you are eligible to register to vote once you have completed the court-ordered sentence of imprisonment. For the purposes of eligibility to register to vote, convictions include federal, state and out-ofstate convictions. You are not eligible to vote if you have been convicted of buying or selling votes. at the polls Employers must give certain employees time off to vote and pay them for their absence. If an employee is a registered voter and does not have two continuous hours off-duty between 7 am and 8 pm on Election Day, the voter s employer must give the employee two hours to vote and pay the employee for the two hour absence. voter id requirements Some first time voters will be asked to show ID before voting. If you are asked to show ID, please show an election judge one of the following forms of ID: A copy of a current and valid photo ID, (i.e., Maryland driver s license, MVA ID card, student, employee, or military ID card, U.S. passport, or any other State or federal government-issued ID card) A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address. Current means that the document is dated within 3 months of the election. REGISTRATION FOR GROUPS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS A voter may have assistance in the polling places with casting their ballot because of physical disability or an inability to read the English language. Assistance will be given, if requested, by the election judges or the disabled voter can bring someone with them. The person the voter brings with them must not be their employer, an agent of their employer, or an officer or agent of their union. Use the voter look-up website to find out if your polling place is accessible. If your polling place is not accessible, there will be a list of the reasons why. This may help you decide if the polling place is accessible for you. Using a headset and keypad, blind voters and voters with low vision are able to vote by listening to the ballot selections and by using the keypad. You may also choose to use the high contrast and large print functions of the voting unit. Other assistive devices (for example, sip and puff) can be plugged into the device. If you want use the

5 2016 aai maryland Voter Guide audio ballot, ask an election judge. Election judges will answer questions and help you, if needed. poll watchers A candidate, political party, or other group of voters supporting or opposing a candidate or issue on the ballot has the right to designate a Maryland registered voter as a challenger and watcher at each polling place. A certificate signed by the designating authority is sufficient evidence of the right of such challenger and watcher to be present in the polling room. Poll watchers may be designated by one of the following entities: State Board of Elections for any polling place in the state (Submit a request in writing. Poll watchers will be required to read their manual and may be required to attend a brief training session. It is strongly recommended that the request be submitted at least one month before the election in which you wish to be a poll watcher.) Local Board of Elections for any polling place located in the county of the local board Candidate, including a write-in-candidate who has filed a Certificate of Candidacy Recognized Political Party Any other group of voters supporting or opposing a candidate, principle, or proposition on the ballot campaigning & the polls An individual can take part in exit polling under the following conditions: Pollsters are not permitted in the voting rooms Pollsters are not permitted to ask questions of a voter until the voter has left the voting room Pollster must inform the voters that their participation in the poll is voluntary Pollsters are not permitted to electioneer and therefore are not subject to electioneering limits (100 Feet).

6 2016 aai Maryland Voter Guide 2016 presidential & vice presidentialcandidates Democratic Presidential Hillary Clinton, a graduate of Yale Law School, began her career working for the Children s Defense Fund, and later acting as an advisor to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate scandal. She served as First Lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1992, during which she became a partner at Rose Law Firm and led several business ventures. In 1993, Hillary Clinton became First Lady of the United States when Bill Clinton was elected as President. As First Lady, she chaired the Task Force on National Healthcare Reform. In 2000, Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate from New York, where she served two terms. During her time in the Senate, Clinton served on the Committee on Budget, Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Special Committee on Aging. Additionally, she was a member of the Committee on Security and Cooperation in Europe. In the 2008 Presidential election she ran unsuccessfully against President Barack Obama. President Obama appointed Clinton U.S. Secretary of State, where she served from 2009 to She announced her campaign for the 2016 Democratic nomination on Twitter in April Hillary for America Hillary for America Post Office Box 5256 New York, NY P: (646) Democratic Vice Presidential Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) graduated from the University of Missouri, and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School during which he interrupted his studies to work for nine months at a Jesuit mission in Honduras. Upon completion of Harvard Law, Kaine entered private practice and became a lecturer at the University of Richmond School of Law. He was first elected to public office in 1994, when he won a seat on the Richmond, Virginia City Council. He was then elected Mayor of Richmond in 1998, serving in that position until 2001 when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Kaine was elected Governor of Virginia in 2005, serving until He served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011, and then decided to run for the vacant U.S. Senate seat, an election he won. Senator Kaine is presently serving in the Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate Budget Committee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging. Senator Kaine was selected by Hillary Clinton as her Vice Presidential running mate on July 22nd. On July 27, 2016 Senator Kaine officially accepted the Democratic nomination.

7 2016 aai maryland Voter Guide Republican Presidential Donald Trump is a real estate mogul and television personality best known for the eponymous Trump Organization and his reality TV program The Apprentice. Born and raised in New York City, Trump earned his bachelor s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania s Wharton School in In 1973, Trump inherited his father s real estate and construction firm, and renamed it The Trump Organization. Trump is a politically active member of the Tea Party movement and had discussed the idea of running for President of the United States in five previous election cycles. In June 2015, Trump announced his campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination in front of Trump Tower in New York City. Trump officially accepted the Republican National Committee s nomination for President at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Donald J. Trump for President Donald J. Trump President, Inc C/O Trump Tower 725 5th Avenue New York, NY P: (646) Republican Vice Presidential Following graduation from law school, Governor Mike Pence unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1988 and 1990, losing both times to Democratic incumbent Phil Sharp. In 1991, Pence was named President of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Pence was elected to Congress in November 2000 and served for six terms. In November 2008, his fellow GOP members elected him to serve as Chairman of the House Republican Conference. During his tenure in Congress, Pence served on multiple House committees including, Agriculture, Judiciary, Small Business, and Foreign Affairs. In May 2011, Pence announced that he would not run for re-election in Congress, and instead successfully ran for Governor of Indiana in the 2012 election. As Governor, Pence made national headlines when he signed Indiana s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. This action brought about widespread criticism alleging that the bill would permit discrimination against the LGBTQ community. On July 15, 2016, Donald Trump announced that he had selected Pence as his Vice Presidential running mate in the 2016 Presidential election.

8 2016 aai Maryland Voter Guide maryland state directory Maryland State Republican Party Chair: Diana Waterman 69 Franklin Street Annapolis, MD P: (410) Maryland State Democratic Party Chair: D. Bruce Poole 33 West St. Suite 200 Annapolis, MD P: (410) u.s. senate candidates U.S. Senate, MD Statewide *Incumbent Barbara Mikulski (D) is retiring from the U.S. Senate after 30 years of service, leaving her seat open. Chris Van Hollen (D) is running to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate. Van Hollen currently represents the 8th district of Maryland, an office he has held since In his capacity as Representative, Van Hollen serves as the co-chair of the bipartisan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus and co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force. In 2006, then-speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi created a leadership position for Van Hollen, and he became Assistant to the Speaker. After the 2006 elections, Van Hollen began serving as the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee which he ran for four years. Before his election to the U.S. Congress, Van Hollen served 12 years in the Maryland General Assembly. Prior to his election to the Maryland legislature, Rep. Van Hollen served as a Senior Legislative Advisor for Federal Affairs to Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer Concord Street, Suite 202 Kensington, MD Kathy Szeliga (R) is running for U.S. Senate in the 2016 Maryland race. Szeliga has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2011 and was elected Minority Whip in 2013, making her the highest-ranking Republican woman in Maryland s state legislature. Before entering public life, Szeliga was a teacher for Baltimore City Public Schools and operated a family-run construction business. In 1994, Szeliga began working in the Maryland House of Delegates as a legislative aid, and eventually became the Chief of Staff for then-state Senator Andy Harris. P.O. Box Nottingham, MD

9 2016 aai maryland Voter Guide 2016 u.s. house of representatives candidates U.S. House, MD 1st District Incumbent Andy Harris (R) P.O. Box 426 Stevensville, MD P: (443) Joe Werner (D) 604J Churchill Rd Bel Air, MD P: (202) U.S. House, MD 2nd District Incumbent C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D) P.O. Box 231 Timonium, MD P: (410) Pat McDonough (R) PO Box Baltimore, MD P: (410) U.S. House, MD 3rd District Incumbent John Sarbanes (D) P.O. Box 6854 Towson, MD P: (410) Mark Plaster (R) U.S. House, MD 4th District Anthony G. Brown (D) George E. McDermott (R) 1433 North Huron Drive Forest Heights, MD P: (301) U.S. House, MD 5th District Incumbent Steny Hoyer (D) 4201 Northview Drive, Ste 220 Bowie, MD P: (301) Mark Arness (R) 2874 Ivory Lane Port Republic, MD P: (443)

10 2016 aai Maryland Voter Guide U.S. House, MD 6th District Incumbent John Delaney (D) P.O. Box Potomac, MD P: (301) Amie Hoeber (R) P.O. Box Potomac, MD U.S. House, MD 7th District Incumbent Elijah E. Cummings (D) 2901 Druid Park Dr, Ste. 203 Baltimore, MD P: (410) Corrogan Vaughn (R) P.O. Box Baltimore, MD U.S. House, MD 8th District Jamie Raskin (D) P.O. Box 5418 Takoma Park, MD Dan Cox (R) P.O. Box 545 Emmitsburg, MD P: (301)

11 2016 aai maryland Voter Guide This is the second-most-important form you ll fill out this fall. Your ballot is the first. Please vote. But also, please consider our future beyond Nov. 8. Yes, we want your contributions - your donations, your activism. But really, we just want you. If your only political actions this fall are to vote and to update your contact information with AAI, you are making a big investment in the future of the Arab American community. When we reach more people, then, over time, our strength as a political constituency grows. In the 30 years since AAI s founding, our community has found a place in national politics that used to be just a dream. I m already an AAI member, but I want: Update my contact information Promise that I ll vote Nov. 8 Make a donation to our #YallaVote campaign I want to join! My information is below, or I ll visit www. aaiusa.org and join online. Please add my name to your list, so I can get weekly political news updates, action alerts, and event notices. I ll visit your website for more information about joing AAI. Don t want to join right now - but I DO want to be part of our community s future. Here s my contact information, and I ll hear from you down the road. Name Address City State/ZIP Phone I want to join AAI or make a donation. My check is enclosed. Please charge my Mastercard/Visa Name on card Card no. Exp. date Signature Send back this form. Together, let s see how much we can grow in the next thirty years.

12 Arab American Institute. For use by Yalla Vote 2016 Partners. Not for reproduction.