Month: September 2012

Dead people voted and registered to vote, watchdog group finds; hundreds of deceased still on rolls

Dead people voted and registered to vote, watchdog group finds; hundreds of deceased still on rolls

At least two dead voters showed up to vote at least once in a Maryland general election between 2004 and 2008, according to a voter registration watchdog group that has reviewed thousands of voter records this year, 1% of the rolls in the largest counties. The group – Election Integrity Maryland (EIM) – filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections Aug. 30. The group said it found several potential dead voters, voters who registered after they had died and a living Maryland resident who has been voting twice in elections for years.

State Roundup, September 28, 2012

State health reform panel includes some acupuncture in required insurance offerings; starting Monday, veterans posts can apply for gambling machines; state’s campaign finance reform panel to recommend disclosure by outside interests; regional workforce center opens in Laurel; Del. Justin Ross to step down in November; O’s owner Angelos joins the big league in political donations; and Donald Rumsfeld backs Dan Bongino for U.S. Senate.

Md. Labor Department overpays unemployment claims, auditors find

The Maryland Labor Department’s Division of Unemployment Insurance overpaid millions in benefits to people who were actually working and shelled out unemployment benefits to people who were dead or in prison. The division also certified job stimulus tax credits for employers hiring the unemployed for some workers who weren’t actually receiving unemployment benefits.

Major paratransit contracts fail to meet minority business targets

The Maryland Transit Administration is trying to boost minority business involvement in two multi-million dollar paratransit contracts worth $42 million that have failed to achieve a required 25% Minority Business Enterprise goal. Veolia Transportation Services, Inc. only reached 13% participation, while MV Transportation, Inc. hit the 11% mark.

State Roundup, September 27, 2012

Labor unions in Maryland are organizing to support gay marriage; the fight over gambling expansion is a high stakes fight; Montgomery County veterans ask their House delegation to allow gambling machines at vet posts; Sobhani tied with Bongino for 2nd place in race against U.S. Sen. Cardin; state could lose more than 12,000 jobs; and third-party congressional candidates say votes aren’t wasted on them.

Montgomery veterans hope to change delegates’ position on gambling at posts

Advocates from Montgomery County veterans organizations, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, are lobbying the county’s House delegation to change their minds on gambling machines for veterans posts. The veterans want the delegation to include the county in the state’s gambling expansion that allows up to five pull-tab video lottery terminals in veterans halls in other areas of the state.

State Roundup, September 26, 2012

New poll finds support for same-sex marriage, immigrant tuition referendums, U.S. Sen. Cardin with a comfortable lead and President Obama far ahead of Romney; Penn National in discussions to buy stake in Maryland Live; Gov. O’Malley urging people to hit the streets for same-sex marriage; state law license of Del. Alston yanked; MTA computer glitch delays drivers license renewals for some; Comptroller Franchot on an economic listening tour; Dems file ethics complaint against Alex Mooney; and Arundel Exec Leopold’s two-week legal tab hits $20,000.

New Poll: Voters support Dream Act, close on gay marriage, slightly opposed to gaming expansion

In-state college tuition for children of illegal immigrants appears safely headed for passage on the November ballot, according to a new statewide poll. Opinion on the same-sex marriage question is closer yet trending toward approval, but expansion of gambling may have difficulty passing in a tight vote. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin and President Obama also have comfortable leads among likely voters.

State Roundup, September 25, 2012

Some gambling opponents concentrate efforts in Prince George’s; archbishop of Baltimore headlines private event to oppose same-sex marriage; some university students won’t vote, put off by tone of presidential campaign; scooter helmet law goes into effect on Monday; and PSC to decide if utility power outage surcharge will remain.

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