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Proposed bill seeks to make judicial primaries nonpartisan

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Mar 15, 2007 by CARYN TAMBER

JUDICIARY

BY CARYN TAMBER

A bill that would allow independent voters to vote in primary elections for circuit court judges has taken steps toward passing the Senate, but its chances in the House of Delegates are uncertain.

The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee has given a favorable report to Senate Bill 46, which advocates say would make judicial elections nonpartisan. People who are not registered Democrats or Republicans would be able to vote in the primaries. In each county, twice the number of judges as there are open seats would make it through the primaries.

Currently, most judicial races are decided in the primaries, since the same candidates generally win both the Democratic and Republican primary races. That disenfranchises independent voters, backers of SB 46 say.

A similar bill made it out of committee last year and passed the full Senate unanimously, but never made it to a vote in the House Judiciary Committee. At the time, some judges said they had lobbied Judiciary Chairman Joseph F. Vallario Jr., D-Prince George's and Calvert, not to bring the bill to a vote, partly because they feared having to run in a general election even if they garnered overwhelming support in the primaries.

Through an assistant, Vallario said Wednesday that he has no comment on SB 46's fate this year.