Baltimore County voters will not get a chance to decide whether to expand the County Council by four members.
Linda Dorsey-Walker, the chair of the Grassroots organization Vote4More!, said they did not get enough valid signatures on petitions to get the question on the November ballot.
It ends a more than two year effort that Dorsey-Walker said excited people countywide.
“What hurts me is that getting them so excited, I can’t deliver it,” Dorsey-Walker said.
Supporters of expanding the County Council believe it would open the door for more people of color and women to win election. The current seven member council is all male with only one Black member.
They also point out that the county’s population has nearly tripled since the seven-seat county council was established in 1956.
Dorsey-Walker criticized Baltimore County Board of Elections Director Ruie Lavoie for tossing out a number of the collected signatures for technical reasons, such as incorrect dates or incomplete names.
“She threw out almost 1,400 signatures, maybe more, because people didn’t put in their middle name or their middle initial,” Dorsey-Walker said.
Lavoie has declined to comment.
According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, a signature on a petition has to match the name as it appears on the statewide voter registration list. It can also be accepted if it contains the surname and at least the first or middle name and the initials of any other names.
“For example, if a voter is registered as Margaret Hall Smith, it is permissible for her to sign as Margaret H. Smith or M. Hall Smith. But M.H. Smith or Margaret Smith is not permissible and will be invalidated,” according to the state’s election law.
According to the county board of elections, Vote4More! Submitted 7,284 valid signatures as of July 28. On July 29, it submitted an additional 1,428 signatures, which were not enough to put the issue on the ballot.
At least 10,000 valid signatures were needed by Monday to put the four-seat expansion question to voters.
Dorsey-Walker said on Tuesday that the group may consider an appeal, depending on the final number of verified signatures reported by the board of elections.
“Too many people care about this,” Dorsey-Walker said.
The Baltimore County Council can also put a referendum on the ballot.
Earlier this month the council agreed to let voters decide whether two seats should be added to the seven member council.
The Council rejected Dorsey-Walker’s request that it put the four-seat expansion on the ballot and opted for two instead.
Republican Councilman David Marks had criticized the Vote4More! effort as being partisan. He and other Republicans were concerned that expanding the council to 11 seats would be a gift for Democratic candidates. The current council is almost evenly split between four Democrats and three Republicans.
The two-seat ballot question approved by the County Council includes a redrawn district map for nine seats.
“In a bipartisan vote, the County Council responded to those who want a larger body by allowing voters to have their say this fall,” Marks said in a statement. “Our map proposes fair districts that give both parties a fighting chance.”
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski backed the four seat expansion and signed the petition.
In a statement Erica Palmisano, Olszewski's press secretary, said they are disappointed the four-seat effort fell short but added Olszewski will support the two-seat ballot question.
"We will continue to support efforts by our Council partners to add much-needed seats at the table on behalf of residents and bring our council in line with neighboring jurisdictions," Palmisano said.
This story may be updated.
