1 2 0 [8 5 O p
. A tt ’y

In your re quest you also state that you are concerned a bout the 1 propriety of your poss ible involvement in those determinations, g iven that your off ice advoca

ted passag e of the bill while it wa s before the General Assembly . We do not discuss the ethical issue that you raise. Pr esu mably , h ow e ve r, our i nterp re tatio n o f t heEl e c tio n Co dea lso resolves your ethical conce rn. EL EC TI ONS
R E FE RE ND A

) C OUNTI ES

) S UFFI CI E NC Y D E T E RMI NA T I ON C ONC E RN I NG A R E FE RE ND UM ON A P UB L I C L OCAL L AW E N A C TED BY T HE G ENERAL A SSEMBLY I S TO B E M ADE BY S TATE O FFICI ALS

M ay19, 2000

V i rgi nia W

. B arnh art

, Esquir e C ount y At t or ney f

orB al t i m or e C ount

y

Y ou have as ked for an opi ni on on t he pr oced u re f or det er m i ni ng t he s uffi ci encyof a pet i t i on t hatm aybe s ubm i t t ed i n an eff or tt o br i ng a publ i c l ocal l aw r ece nt l yenac t ed byt he G ener al A s s embl yt o r efe r endum. A s y ou not e, t he re centr ecodi fi cat i on of A r t i cl e 33 of t he A nnot at ed C ode of M ary l and ( t he “El ect i on C ode”)
r ai s es a ques t i on about w het her s uffi ci ency det er m i nat i ons ar e t o be
m ade a tt he St at e l evel orbyt he l ocal boar d of el ect i ons w i t h t he l egal advi ce of

t he count y at t or ney
. W e bel i eve thatt he bes tr eadi ng o f a l l r e l e v a n t E l e c t i o n Co d e p r o v i s i o n s , t o g e t h e rwi t h Ar t i c l e XVI of t he St at e C on s t i tut i on, r equi r es t hatt he det er m i nat i ons be made att he St at e l evel – t hat i s , by t he S t at e B oar d of El ect i ons , w i t h t he
a ss ista n c e o f

its c o u n se l, th e A tto rn e yG e n e ra l. 1

I Backg r ound
A. Chapter75
Y ourques t i on ar i s es i n connec t i on w i t h C hapt er75, L aw s of M ar y l and 2000 ( Senat e B i l l 509) , a bi l l i nt r oduced att he r eques tofG en. 120] 121

I f more than one-third of the require d signatures is filed with the 2 Secre tary of State bef

ore June 1, the deadline for submi tting the remainder is ex tended until June 30. Ar ticle XVI , §3(b). “A public g eneral law ‘ deals with the public g eneral welf are , a 3
subjec t whic h is of

signif ic anc e no t ju st t o a

ny on e c ounty, b ut rather t o more than one g eographic al subdivision, or even to the entirestate.’” Pa rk
v

. Bo ard o

f Liq uo r Lic e ns eCom mi

ssi on e rs f or Ba ltimo reCity , 338 Md. 366, 378, 658 A.2d 687 (1995). A p ub lic loc a l la

w i s c on fi ned in it s ope ra tio n to c e rt a in 4 presc ribed or define d territorial limit s. Pa rk, su pra , 338 Md. at 378. See als o Mary

land Con sti tution , ArticleXI -A , § 4 ( statin gthat “ [a]ny law s o drawn a s to app ly

to t wo or more of theg e ogra

ph ic a l su bdivi sio ns of

thi s State shall not be dee m ed a L ocal L aw” ); Article X I -F , §1 (def ining “public local law” f

or purpose s of code home rule provisions to exclude a law that applies to more than onecounty ). B a lti m o re C o u n ty a n d e n a c ted b yth e G e n e ra l A ss e m b lyd u rin g its
m o st re c e n t se ss io n . T h e m a jo r p u rp o se s o f

th e law w e re to

“ a u th o riz [ e ] B a lti m o re C o u n tyto u n d e r ta k e a n d c a rryo u t p rojec ts forr es i dent i al , comm er ci al , ori ndus t r i al devel o pm entand re d e v e lo p m e n t” in th re e sp e c if ica llyd e f in e d “ re n e w a l ar e a s” w ith in t he C ount y , and t o “author i z[e ] B al t i m or e C ount yt o exer ci s e the p o w e r o f

e m in e n t d o m a in ,” i f n e c e ss a ry , to a c q u ire c e rta in s peci fi cal l yi dent i fi ed pr oper t i es w i t hi n t hos e re new al ar eas
. A ft er pas s age of

t he bi l l , opponent s announce d t hei ri nt ent i on t o pet i t i on t h e l e g i s l a t i o n t o r e f

e r e n d u m.
B. The Ref

e r e ndum
U nder A r t i cl e X V I of t he St at e C ons t i tut i on, r at i fi ed i n 1915, th e e f f e c tiv e d a te o f

a n ylaw e n a c ted b y th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly , w ith c e rta in e x c e p tio n s n o t p e rtin e n t h e re , m a yb e su sp e n d e d p e n d in g its subm i ssi on t o the voter s for app roval or rej ect i on
. T he ef fect i ven ess of t he l aw i s pos tponed i f a s uffi ci ent num berof pet i t i on s i gnatur es i s fi l ed w i t h t he Secr etary o f St at e bef or e J une 1 fol l ow i ng t he p a ss a g e o f

th e la w
. A rticle X V I, § 2

. T h e S e c re tar yo f S tate is to 2 ref er a p u b li c g en era l l aw to the v o ters st atew ide i f th e S ec retary 3
r ece i ves a pet i t i on s i gned byvot er s equal i n num bert o atl eas tt hr ee pe r c e n to f

t h e v o t e s c a s tf

o rGov e r n o ra tt h e l a s tp r e cedi ng g u b e rn a to ria l ele c tio n . T h e S e c re tar yo f S tate is to re f

e r a p u b lic lo c a l law to th e v o ter s o f th e a f f e c ted c o u n tyo r B a lti m o re C ityif 4 t he Secr et ar y r ece i ves a pet i t i on s i gned byvot er s of t hatj ur i s di ct i on equal i n num bert o atl eas tt en per centof t he vot es cas tforG over nor1 2 2 [8 5 O p
. A tt ’y

When it recodified theElection C o d e in 1998, the Ge neral 5 As se mbly he e de d th is e xpre ss l imi ta tio n b y statin gat th e outse t of Ti tle 6 (P et i t ions): “This title may not be interpre ted to conflict with any provision relatingto petitions specified in the Mar yland Constitut ion.” Article 33, §6- 102(c)

. byvot er s of t hatj ur i s di ct i on att he l as tgu b ernat or i al el ect i on. A rt icl e X V I, § 3 (a).
C ert ain tec h n ical req u ir em en ts fo r a ref ere n d u m p eti t i on ar e s et f o rth in A rticle X V I itse lf , w h ich a lso d ire c ts th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly t o “pr es cr i be bylaw t he form of t he pet i t i on, t he mannerfor ver i fy i ng i t s aut hent i ci t y , and ot her admi ni s t r at i ve pr ocedur es w hi ch fac i l i t at e t he pet i t i o n p r oces s
. ” A r t i cl e X V I , §4. T he C ons t i tut i on expr es s l yqual i fi es t hi s gr antof author i t ybys peci fy i ng that t he p e tit io n p ro c e d u re s an d f o rm s p re sc rib e d b y th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly
m u s t n o t c o n f

lic t w ith A rt ic le X V I. Id

. A rticle X V I, § 5 d e a ls w ith 5 how t he vot er s ar e t o be not i fi ed about i s s ues put t o r efe r endum, how t he r e fe r r e d l a w s a r e t o b e pl a c e d o rde s c r i be d o n o ff i c i a l ba l l ots , and how t he r es ul t s of a r efe r endum are t o be r etur ned and announce d.
T he G ener al A s s embl yhas i m pl ement ed A r t i cl e X V I of t he C ons t i tu t i o n t h r o u g h l a ws t h a ta r e g a t h e r e d , s i n c e t h e 1 998 recodi fi cat i on of the E l ect i on C od e, pri m ari l yi n T i t l es 6 (Pet i t i on s)
a n d 7 ( Q u e s tio n s) o f

A rticle 3 3 . T h e se tit les a p p lyn o t o n lyto r efe r enda on a ct s of t he G ener al A s s embl yunderA r t i cl e X V I of t he C ons t i tut i on, butal s o t o ques t i ons s ubm i t t ed t o t he vot er s pur s uant to p e tit io n u n d e r o th e r p ro v is io n s o f th e C o n stitu tio n , an d to r efe r enda on publ i c l ocal l aw s enac t ed byt he l egi s l at i ve bodi es of h o m e ru le c o u n tie s . A rt ic le 3 3 , § 7 -1 0 1

. See a l so A nnot at ed C ode of M ar y l and, A r t i cle 2 5 A , §8 ( per m i t t i ng ci t i zens of a c har t er ed c o u n tyto re se rv e in th e ir c h a rte r th e rig h t o f re f e re n d u m ); A rticle 2 5 B , § 1 0 (h ) (au th o riz in g c iti z e n s o f a c o d e h o m e ru le c o u n ty t o pet i t i on t o r efe r endum pu b li c l ocal l aw s enac t ed byt he boar d of count ycomm i s s i oner s )

. A m ong ot her t hi ngs , T i t l es 6 and 7 pr ovi de fort he cont ent of pet i t i ons and spec i fyhow det er m i nat i ons aboutt he s uffi ci encyof pet i t i ons are to be made and how r efe r endum q u e stio n s a re to b e p lac e d o n th e b a llo t.
T he pet i t i on pr oces s l ai d out i n T i t l e 6 al l ow s t he spons or s of a pet i t i o n d ri v e t o s ubm i tt he form atof t hei rpet i t i on t o el ect i on offi ci al s foran “a dvance det er m i nat i on” of s uffi ci ency
. A r t i cl e 33, § 6 -20 2

. A fter the sp o n so rs c o ll ec t the sign ature s o f reg ist ere d v o tersG en. 120] 123

The Ge neral A ssembly is expressly forbidden by

Article X I -A of 6 the Constitut ion to pass public local l aw s for a char tere d county

like Baltimore County

“on any subject covered by the [ Express P ower s Act]”. Article X I -A, §4. How ever , i t m ay still enac t public local laws for c ha rt e re d c ounti e s o n s ub

je c ts n ot w ith in t

hec ounti e s’ e xpre ss p ow e rs
. i n an effo rtt o o btai n the r equ i red num ber of v erif iab l e si gn atures, t h e s p o n s o r s a t t a c h a n “ i n f o r ma t i o n p a g e ” a n d f

o r ma l l yf

i l e t he pet i t i on i n t he offi ce of “the appr opr i at e el ect i on aut hor i t y ” s peci fi ed in § 6 -2 0 5 (a ). T h e c h ief e lec tio n o f

f icia l o f th a t ele c tio n a u th o rity det er m i nes t he s uffi ci encyof t he pet i t i on as t o m at t er s ot hert han t he val i di t yof s i gnatur es. Sect i on 6- 206. T hi s det er m i nat i on m us tbe cons i s t entw i t h anyadvanc e det er m i nat i on m ade under §6- 202. A rt icl e 3 3 , § 6 -20 6 (d).
T h e sta f f o f th e e lec tio n a u th o rity , o r if th e e lec tio n a u th o rity i s t he S t at e B oard of E l ect i on s, t he st affs of the l ocal el ect i on bo ards, t hen ver i fyand countt he s i gnatur es on t he pet i t i on. A r t i cl e 33, §§6- 205( b) , 6- 207. A tt he conc l us i on of t he ver i fi ca ti o n and count i ng, th e c h ief e lec tio n o f

f icia l o f th e e lec tio n a u th o rityc e rtifie s th e re su lt of t he pet i t i on pr oces s – i n the ca s e of a r efe r endum pet i t i on, w h e th e r th e q u e stio n h a s q u a lifie d to b e p lac e d o n th e b a llo t. A rticle 33, §6- 208. A ny one aggr i eved bya dec i s i on m ade unde rA r t i cl e 33, §6- 202, §6- 206, or§6- 208 m ays eek j udi ci al r evi ew
. A r t i cl e 33, §6- 209.
C. “Loc al

Peti ti on”
Y ours peci fi c ques t i on i nvol ves t he appl i cat i on of Ti t l e 6 i n t he con t extof a pe t i t i on conce r ni ng C hapt er75, a publ i c l ocal l aw p asse d b ythe G en e ra l A ssem b lyan d ap p li ca b le t o B alt im o re C ount y
. M or e part i cul ar l y , i tar i s es beca us e of the di ffe r ent

6 tre a tm e n t o f

sta tew id e a n d lo c a l p e tit io n s u n d e r T itl e 6 . C e n tra l to y ourques t i on i s t he defi ni t i on of “l ocal pet i t i on” t hatappea r s i n §6- 1 0 1 (g) : ( g ) L ocal pet i t i on. – “Lo ca l pet i t i on”

m eans a pet i t i on: (1 ) O n w h ich th e sig n a tu re s f ro m o n ly one countym aybe count ed; and1 2 4 [8 5 O p
. A tt ’y

It is no te wo rt

hy tha t lo c a l bo ard s o f el ect io ns havea uth ority 7
un de r Artic le33 , § 2- 20 5 to re ta in t he ir own atto rn e y s, wh o arety pic a lly no t on thesta ff s o f t hec ounty atto rn e y s. Th e re aso n for ass ignin gto county attorneys the task of a dvising the loc al boards on petition matters is not entirely

apparent, although it no doubt relates to the involvement of local leg islative and exe cu t i v e officials in the submis sion of local qu e sti on s to thevo te rs
.

( 2) T hatdoes nots eek t o: ( i ) R efe ra publ i c gener al l aw enac t ed byt he G ener al A s s embl y ; or ( i i ) N o m i nat e an i ndi vi dual foran o f f ice f o r w h ich a c e rtific a te o f c a n d id a c yis
r equi r ed t o be fi l ed w i t h t he St at e B oar d.
R e a d lit e ra lly , this d e f

in iti o n w o u ld a p p e a r to in c lu d e w ith in t he t er m “l ocal pet i t i on” a pe t i t ion, s uch as t he one now bei ng c irc u la te d w ith re sp e c t to C h a p ter 7 5 , tha t se e k s to re f e r a p u b lic lo c a l l aw enac t ed byt he G ener al A s s embl y
. U nder par agr aph (1) of § 6 -1 0 1 (g ), sig n a tu re s f ro m o n lyo n e c o u n ty w o u ld b e c o u n ted in connec t i on w i t h s uch a pe t i t i on, and u n d er par agr aph ( 2) of t hat s ect i on, t he pet i t i on w oul d s eek ne i t hert o r efe r a publ i c gener all aw nor t o nom i nat e an i ndi vi dual for an offi ce for w hi ch a cer t i fi cat e of cand i dacy w ou l d b e fi l ed w i t h the Stat e B oard of E l ect i on s.
I f a pe t i t i on s eeki ng t o r efe r a publ i c l ocal l aw enac t ed byt he G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y i s a “ l o c a l p e t i t i o n , ” t h e n t h e “ e l e c t i o n a u t h o r i t y”
r es pons i bl e form aki ng det er m i nat i ons about t he s uffi ci encyof t hat pet i t i on i s t he l ocal boar d of el ect i ons , §6- 101( e) ( 2) , w i t h t he advi ce o f th e c o u n tyatt o rne y o r co u n ty law d ep artm en t, § 6 -10 1 (f)(2). See 7 A rticle 3 3 , § 6 -2 0 2 (c a lli n g f o r f o rm a t o f p e tit io n to b e su b m itt e d to th e c h ie f e le c tio n o f

f ic ia l o f “ th e a p p ro p ri a te e le c ti o n a u th o ri ty,”
w ho m akes an adva nce de t er m i nat i on on i t s s uffi ci encyw i t h t he advi ce of

“t he l egal author i t y ”)

. H o w ev er, the des i gn of t he C o n sti tut i on and t he r es tof t he El ect i on C ode l eads us t o t he concl us i on t hatt he Legi s l atur e i nt ended t hata r efe r endum pet i t i on conce r ni ng a publ i c l ocal l aw enac t ed byt he G ener al A s s embl ybe pr oces s ed byt he St at e B oar d of E lecti o ns w i t h t he advi ce of t he A tto rn e yG e n e ra l.G en. 120] 125

Section 6 -205(a) ca

nnot rea sonably

be re ad to re quire, unde r 8 paragraph ( 2), that a pe tition under Article XVI of the State Constituti on be delivered to the Sta te Boa rd of Elections and then, under paragraph ( 4), th at th e p e ti ti o n b e p r o c e s s e d a s if it h a d b e e n f il e d w ith the lo cal

board of ele ctions. I f the Ge neral Assembly had intended to maketh e local board thedecision-maker, there would have be en no re ason not to direct theSe c re tary

of State , in pa

ragra ph (2 ), to d e liv e r t

hepe tit ion

dire c tly to the local boa

rd. II

A n a ly sis
T he C ons t i tut i on as s i gns t o S t at e off i ci al s var i ous t as ks i nvol ved i n pr oces s i ng and as s es s i ng a r efe r endum pet i t i on on any acto f the G ener al A s s embl y
. A r t i cl e X V I of t he C ons t i tut i on r equi r es t hat s uch a pet i t i on, w het heri t s obj ecti s a publ i c gene r al or a p u b lic lo c a l law , b e f iled w ith th e S e c re tar yo f S tate , a S tate cons t i tut i onal offi cer
. I f t he Secr et aryof St at e det er m ine s t hatt he pet i t i o n req ui r ement s of t he C ons t i tut i on have be en met , t he S e c re tar yre f

e rs th e law e ith e r t o th e v o ter s o f th e e n tire S tate o r, in t h e c a s e o f

a p u b l i c l o c a l l a w , t o t h e v o t e r s o f a s i n g l e c o u n t y. A rt ic le X V I, § § 2 , 3

. See B ar nes v. St at e, ex r el

. P i nkney , 236 M d. 564, 576, 204 A

. 2d 787 ( 1964)

. T he C ons t i tut i on l i kew i s e as s i gns t o St at e cons t i tut i onal offi cer s ot hert as ks i nvol ved i n t he r efe r r al of law s e n a c ted b y th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly : th e A tto rn e yG e n e ra l is to
a p p ro v e a n ysu m m a ryto b e in c lu d e d a s p a rt o f a p e titio n , A rticle X V I , §4; and t he vot es cas t for and agai ns t t he r efe r r ed l aw ar e t o be
r etur ned t o the G over nor , w ho i s t o pr ocl ai m t he r es ul tof t he elec ti o n , A rt icl e X V I, § 5 (b).
C o n sis ten t w ith th e C o n stitu tio n , the E le c ti o n C o d e typ ica lly as s i gns t o St at e off

i cer s t as ks i nvol ved i n t he re ferr al of ac t s of t he G ene r a l As s e mbl y
. Fo re x a mpl e , Ar t i c l e 3 3 , § 6

- 2 0 5 ( a ) p r o v i d es t hat , i f t he C ons t i tut i on r equi r es t he fi l i ng of a pe ti ti o n w it h t he S e c re tar yo f

S tate , the S e c re tar y o f S tate is to d e liv e r th e p e tit io n to t he St at e B oar d of El ect i ons , §6- 205( a) ( 2) , and t he pet i t i on i s t o be pr oces s ed as i f i thad bee n fil ed w i t h “t he el ect i on aut hor i t y ” ( i

. e. , t he el ect i on aut hor i t y r efe r r ed t o i n §6- 205( a) ( 2) , t he St at e B oar d of E l ect i ons ) , §6-20 5 (a)(4)

. U nder§6- 206, i ti s t he chi ef e l ect i on 8
o f f i c i a l o f t h e e l e c t i o n a u t h o r i t y wi t h whi c h a p e t i t i o n i s f i l ed ( i. e. , in t he ca s e of a pet i t i on fort he r efe r r al of any actof t he G ener al A ss e m b ly , w h e th e r p u b lic g e n e ra l o r p u b lic lo c a l law , the S tate B o a r d o f E lec tio n s) w h o re v iew s th e p e tit io n a n d d e ter m in e s its1 2 6 [8 5 O p
. A tt ’y

This c onstruction of §6-202 is c onsistent withConstitution, 9 Article XVI , §4, which, as noted above, makes it the task of theAttorney Ge ne ral to a

pp ro vethesumma

ry to b e inc lud e d a s p art

of any pe tit ion to r e f e r ana c to f th e G e n e r a l A s s e mb l y. Section 7-104(b) trac ks Arti cl e XV I , §5, of the Constituti on, 10 which assigns to the Secre tary o f S t ate the ta sk of preparingand su bmi tti nga

ba llo t ti tlein c onne c tio n w ith any law re ferre d un de r Artic le XV I. s uffi ci ency
. B eca us e, under§6- 206( d) , t hi s det er m i nat i on m us tbe c o n sis ten t w ith a n a d v a n c e d e ter m in a tio n m a d e u n d e r § 6 -2 0 2 , it l ogi cal l yfol l ow s t hat t he S t at e A dm i ni s t r at or , act i ng w i t h t he advi ce of t he A t t or ney G ener al , m us t al s o m ake t he advance det er m i nat i on under §6- 202 on anypet i t i on s eeki ng t o r efe ran ac tof t he G ener al A s s e m b l y. 9

T h e re sp o n sib ili tyth a t § 6 -2 0 5 (a ) a p p a re n tlya llo c a tes to S tate offi cer s acc or ds w i t h s ever al pr ovi s i on s in T it l e 7 of A r t i cl e 33 (Q u e stio n s). U n d e r § 7 -1 0 4 (b ), it is th e d u tyo f th e S e c re tar yo f

S tate to c e rtify th e tex t to a p p e a r o n th e b a llo t w ith re sp e c t to “ a ll s t at ew i de bal l ot ques t i ons and al l ques t i ons r el at i ng t o an ena ct m ent o f th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly w h ich is p e tit io n e d to re f e re n d u m ,” w h ile “[e ] ach que s t i on t o be vot ed on i n a s i ngl e cou n ty o r p artof a c o u n ty, exc ept

a ques t i on r el at i ng t o an enac tm en t of t he G ener al A ss e m b lyw h ich h a s b e e n p e tit io n e d to re f e re n d u m ” (e m p h a sis added) , is to be pr epar ed byt he countyat t or neyunl es s s om e ot her p r o c e s s i s ma n d a t e d b yl a w. See a l so § 7 -10 3 (a) ( t r eat i ng t he 10
cert i fi cat i on t o l ocal boar ds of el ect i ons of ques t i ons fors ubm i s s i on to th e v o ter s o f

o n e c o u n tyo r p a rt o f o n e c o u n ty : c e rtific a tio n is to b e d o n e b ya lo c a l o f

f ic ia l, exc ept

t hatques t ion s ref

err ed t o t he
v o ter s b yth e G e n e ra l A ss e m b lyitse lf a re to b e c e rtifie d b yth e S tate B oar d of El ect i ons , and ques t i ons pet i t i oned t o r efe r endum under A rt icl e X V I of

the C o n sti tuti o n are to b e ce rt ifi ed b ythe S ec retary of St at e) ; §7- 10 6 (S ecr et aryof St at e t o pr ovi de forpubl i cat i on of not i ce of al l ques t i ons s ubm i t t ed underA r t i cl e X V I of t he C o n stitu tio n , a lth o u g h c o st of p u b lica tio n m a y b e p a id b yth e c o u n ty if t h e q u esti o n is sub m it ted to v o ters i n o n lyo n e c o u n ty ).
T he s ame al l ocat i on of r es pons i bi l i t yi s al s o embodi ed i n §9- 211 of t he El ect i on C ode, w hi ch dea l s w i t h t he arr angementof q u e stio n s o n th e b a llo t. U n d e r § 9 -2 1 1 (b ), th e S e c re tar yo f S tate is t o cer t i fyt he form of “s t at ew i de ques t i ons , and anyques t i on r el at i ngG en. 120] 127

to a n e n a c tm e n t o f

th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly ,” w h e re a s th e a p p ro p ria te l ocal aut hor i t yi s t o cer t i fyt he form of “a ques t i on t o be vot ed on by
v o te rs in a s in g le c o u n ty, otherthan a quest ion p u rsuantt o an e n a c t m e n t o f

th e G e n e ra l A s s e m b ly” ( e m p h a s is a d d e d ). See a l so A nne A r undel C ount

y v. McD onough , 277 M d. 271, 290, 354 A

. 2d 788 ( 1976) ( r ecogni zi ng di s t i nct i on bet w een r efe r enda a r i s i ng under A r t i cl es X I

- A and X V I of t he C ons t i tut i on and t hos e ar i s i ng on l ocal q u esti o n s).
T hese va r i ous pr ovi s i ons demonst r at e a c ons t i tut i onal and leg isla ti v e sc h e m e th a t g e n e ra llya ss ig n s to S tate o f f icia ls det er m i nat i ons r es pect i ng t he r efe r r al of ac t s of the G ener al A s s embl y , be t heypubl i c gene r al or publ i c l ocal l aw s
. I ndeed, §6- 101( g) , i ns ofaras i tw oul d cl as s i fyas a “l ocal pet i t i on” one s eeki ng t o r efe ra publ i c l ocal l aw enac t ed byt he G ener al A s s embl y , and t hus as s i gn t o l ocal offi ci al s det er m i nat i ons aboutt he s uffi ci encyof s uch a pe t i t i on, i s s o i ncompat i bl e w i t h al l r el at ed pr ovi s i ons of t he cur r ent El e c t i o n Cod e t h a ti ta p p e a r s t o b e t h e r e s u l to f a d r a f t i ng erro r.
I t i s a car di nal rul e of s t atut ory cons t ruct i on t hatp r ovi s i ons deal i ng w i t h t he s ame subj ect , es peci al l yi f ena ct ed att he s ame t i m e, s h o u ld b e h a rm o n iz e d if a t a ll p o s s ib le

. I

n r e C r i m i nalI

nves t igat i on , 3 0 7 M d . 6 7 4 , 6 9 0 , 5 1 6 A .2 d 9 7 6 (1 9 8 6 ); S c o tt v . S ta te , 297 M d. 235, 2 4 5 -4 6 , 4 8 5 A .2 d 1 1 2 6 (1 9 8 3 ), appeal af t err em and , 310 M d. 277, 5 2 9 A .2 d 3 4 0 (1 9 8 7 ); S t a t e v

. L o s c o mb , 291 M d. 424, 432, 435 A

. 2d 764 ( 1981)

. I f §6- 101( g) ( 2 )(i ) i s r ead l i t er al l ys o t hata pet i t i on s eeki ng a r efe r endum on a publ i c l ocal l aw enac t ed byt he G ener al A s s embl ycons t i tut es a “l ocal pet i t i on, ” and i f as a cons equenc e the su ff ici en cyo f suc h a p eti ti o n is t o b e d eterm ined b ythe lo ca l bo ard of el ect i ons w i t h t he advi ce of t he count y at t or ney , t hi s w oul d be a uni que i ns t ance w i t hi n t he per t i nentpr ovi s i ons of t he El ect i on C ode
w h e re th e G e n e r a l A ss e m b lya ss ig n e d to lo c a l o f f icia ls ju d g m e n ts t ou ching on th e v a l i dityand effecti ven ess of on e of it s ow n acts

. T his app ears atod ds w it h the r oles i n the pet i t i on process cons t i tut i onal l y as s i gned t o t he Secr et ary of St at e, t he A tt or ney G ener al , and t he G over nor , as w el l as w i t h t he pr ov isi ons i n T i t l es 7 and 9 of t he E l ect i on C ode for cer t i fy i ng t he t ext t o appea ron t he1 2 8 [8 5 O p
. A tt ’y

We need not attemp t t o d elineatewhat, if a ny , functions 11 associate d with a re ferendum on an a ct of the G eneral Assembly the L eg islature could a ssign to local officials c onsistent with Article XVI of the Constitut ion. b a llo t w h e n a n ya c t o f th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b lyis p e tit io n e d to r e f e r e n d u m. 11

I n addi t i on, t he C our to f A p peal s has decl ar ed that , w her e a l i t er al co n str u ct i on of s t atut or yl anguage w oul d di ct at e a r es ul tat var i ance w i t h t he appa r entl egi s l at i ve goal orpurpos e, “t he pl ai nm eani ng rul e i s notr i gi d. ” Kaczorow ski v

. C i t y of Ba l t i m ore , 309 M d

. 5 0 5 , 5 1 3 , 5 2 5 A

. 2 d 6 2 8 , 6 3 2 -33 (19 8 7 ). S e e a l so C a to n sv ill e N urs i ng H om e, I nc. v. Lovem an , 3 4 9 M d

. 5 6 0 , 7 0 9 A

. 2 d 7 4 9 (19 9 8 ); Tayl orv. Fr i edm an , 344 M d. 572, 582, 689 A

. 2d 59 ( 1997)

. I n s uch s i tuat i ons , i f t he l egi s l at i ve p u rpose c an be de r i ved bya t hor ough exami nat i on of t he s t atut e’ s cont ext , a non-l i t er al cons t ruct i on t hat ef f e c tu a t e s t h e e v i d e n t p u rp o s e i s t o b e a d o p t e d , e v e n i f t hat c o n stru c tio n v a rie s f ro m u n a m b ig u o u s b u t il l-d ra f ted tex t. Kacz or ow s ki , supra , 3 0 9 M d

. at 5 1 5

. S e e als o 84 O pi ni ons of

the A t t or ney G en eral138 ( 1999) ( concl udi ng t hatM ary l and H os pi t al B ond Pro g r am w as avai l abl e forbonds i s s ued byt he M ary l and I ndus t r i al D evel opm ent Fi nanci ng A ut hor i t y even though defi ni t i on sec ti o n co u ld b e re ad to restri ct pro g ram to p o lit ical sub d ivisi o n s); 82 O pi ni ons of

the At t or ney G ener al165 ( 1997) ( concl udi ng t hat
r et ai l er s coul d cont i nue t o col l ect a “bad check fe e” notw i t hs t andi ng th e a p p a re n t r e p e a l o f

le g is la tio n a u th o ri z in g s u c h f e e s ).
In o u r o p in io n , the in ten t u n d e rly in g § 6 -1 0 1 ( g ) ( 2 )(i) w a s to excl ude fr om t he t er m “l ocal pet i t i on” publ i c l ocal l aw s , r at hert han publ i c gener al law s, e n a c ted b y th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly . If th e sin g le
w or d “gene r al ” i n §6- 101( g) ( 2) (i ) w er e cha nged t o “l ocal , ” t he i ncon s i s t e n c i e s n o t e d a b o v e wou l d b e r e s o l v e d

. Th e t e r m “ l ocal pet i t i on” w oul d t hen i ncl ude al l pet i t i ons on w hi ch s i gnatur es fr om a s i ngl e countyar e count ed, w i t h t he exc ept i on of pet i t i ons t o r efe r publ i c l ocal law s enac t ed byt he G ener al A s s embl yand pet i t i ons m ak ing n o m ination s fo r of fice s w h ere ce rt ifi ca tes o f ca n d idac yare fi l ed w i t h the Stat e B oard of E l ect i on s.
T hi s r eadi ng of §6- 101( g) ( 2) ( i ) w oul d al s o r es ol ve an i nt ernal problem w i t h §6-101 (g)

. P aragr aph (1) of the subsect i on defines a

“ lo c a l p e tit io n ” a s o n e o n w h ich th e sig n a tu re s f ro m o n lyo n e c o u n ty ma y b e c o u n t e d

. Pa r a g r a p h ( 2 ) t h e n e x c l u d e s f r o m th e gr oup e sta b lis hed byparagraph (1) t w o specifi c t ypes of peti t i on s, t ho seG en. 120] 129

s eeki ng t he r efe r r al of “a publ i c gene r al l aw enac t ed byt he G ener al A ssem bly , ” and t ho se nom i n a tin g indi vidual s for cer t ai n o ffi ces. B e c ause a p ub l i c gen eral l aw bydefini t i on app l i es st at ew i de o r t o m or e tha n o n e count y , a pet i t i on s eeki ng t he r efe r r al of s uch a l aw w oul d nece s s ar i l yi ncl ude t he s i gnatur es of vot er s fr om m o re t han on e count y , and t he pet i t i on w oul d t hus be exc l uded fr om t he d e f in iti o n o f “ lo c a l p e tit io n ” u n d e r § 6 -1 0 1 (g )(1 ). E x c lu d in g it ag a in under§6- 101( g) ( 2) w oul d be mer e s urpl us age. T he C our tof A ppeal s has r epea t edl yadmoni s hed agai ns ts t atut or ycons t ruct i ons t h a trender cer t ai n w ords of a st at ute “s urpl usage, s up erfl uo us, m eani ngl es s ornugat or y
. ” E

. g. , Ro s e v

. Fo x PoolC or p. , 335 M d. 3 5 1 , 3 5 9 , 6 4 3 A .2 d 9 0 6 (1 9 9 4 ). See a l so G i ant Food, I

nc. v. D epar tm ent

of Labor, Li cens i ng and R egul at i on , 356 M d. 180, 194, 7 3 8 A .2 d 8 5 6 (1 9 9 9 ); H olm an v. Kel l

y C at er i ng, I

nc. , 334 M d. 480, 4 8 5 , 6 3 9 A

. 2 d 7 0 1 (19 9 4 ).
M or eover , r eadi ng t he defi ni t i on of “l ocal pet i t i on” t o excl ude p eti ti o n s tha t seek to ref er any a c t o f

th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b lyw o u ld acc or d w i t h t he l egi s l at i ve hi s t or y of t he 1998 r ecodi fi cat i on of t he E le c tio n C o d e
. See C h apt er585, L aw s of M ary l and 1998. T hat
r ecodi fi cat i on cons ol i dat ed pr ovi s i ons conce r ni ng p et i t i ons t hat appea r ed t hr oughoutt he form er c o d e i n s ect i ons deal i ng w i t h t he for m at i on o f new par t i es , w i t h var i ous t ypes of nom i nat i ons , and
w i t h ques t i ons
. B efor e t he r ecodi fi cat i o n , ther e w as no defi ni t i on s ect i on anal ogous t o cur r ent §6- 101. T he pr ovi s i on deal i ng w i t h t he f o rm o f , a n d p ro c e d u re s f

o r v e rif y in g , “p e tit io n s f

iled u n d e r A rticle X I

- A or A r t i cl e X V I of t he C ons t i tut i on, ” For m erA r t i cl e 33, §23- 3, c l earl yassi gn ed au t ho ri t yov er tho se m at t ers t o the S tate A dm i ni s t r at i ve B oar d of E lecti on L aw s , t he pr edec es s ort o t he curr ent St at e B oard of

E l ect i on s.
N ot hi ng i n t he J anuary 8, 1 998 R e p o rt o f th e C o m m iss io n to R evis e the El ect i on C ode , or i n t he bi l l , Senat e B i l l 118 ( 1998) , t hat
w a s in tro d u c e d o n b e h a lf o f th e C o m m iss io n , c o n tain e d lan g u a g e to al er tt he G ener al A s s embl yof anyr eas s i gnm entfr om t he St at e t o t he l ocal l evel of r es pons i bi l i t yforhandl i ng r efe r enda on p u bl i c l ocal law s e n a c ted b y th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly

. N o r d id th e re p o rt o r th e b ill hi ghl i ght t he ot her i ncongrui t i es that w oul d r es ul tfr om r eadi ng §6- 1 0 1 ( g ) l i t e r a l l y.1 3 0 [8 5 O p
. A tt ’y

T he 1998 r evi s i on w as not , for t he m os t par t , i nt ended t o m ake s ubs t ant i ve cha nges i n pr i orel ect i on l aw , butt o bet t eror gani ze A rticle 3 3 a n d m a k e it m o re u n d e rsta n d a b le, an d to m a k e th e S tate B o a rd o f E lec tio n s a stro n g e r a n d m o re e f f e c tiv e b o d yw ith a u th o rity t o es t abl i s h el ect i on- r el at ed pol i ci es w i t hi n t he br oad par amet er s of th e la w
. R epor t of the C om m is s i on t o R evis e the El ect i on C ode , at pp. 2- 4. T h e b il l anal y s i s forSenat e B i l l 118, i n i t s “H i ghl i ght s of C hanges i n L aw ” forT i t l e 6 of p r opos ed A r t i cl e 33, gave no i ndi cat ion o f anys ubs t ant i ve cha nge i n t he al l ocat i on of
r es pons i bi l i t yfor handl i ng pet i t i on det er m i nat i ons
. I t m er el ys t at ed t hatt he St at e B oar d of El ect i ons w oul d adopt r egul at i ons cover i ng t he form an d cont entof pet i t i ons , ci r cul at i on pr ocedur es , and ver i fi cat i on and count i ng of s i gnatur es , and t hatver i fi cat i on by
r andom sampl e w oul d be perm i t t ed, i f appr oved byt he St at e B oar d. T hus , t he l egi s l at i ve hi s t or y al s o s uppor t s t he conc l us i on t hatus e of t he phr as e “publ i c g e ner all aw ” i n §6- 101( g) ( 2) ( i ) w as a dr aft i ng erro r.

III
C oncl usi on
A r t i cl e 33, §6- 101( g) , i f r ead l i t er al l y , w oul d al l ocat e t o a l ocal boar d of el ect i ons , ad v ised byt he countyat t or ney , det er m i nat i ons a b o u t th e leg a l su f

f icie n c y o f a p e tit io n se e k in g to re f e r a p u b lic l ocal l aw enac t ed byt he G ener al A sse m bl y
. H ow ever , s uch a readi ng w ou l d deviat e from t he l egis l at i ve schem e m anifest ed in o th e r p ro v isio n s o f

th e E lec tio n C o d e a n d w o u ld v a rysig n if ica n tly fr om pr i orl aw i n a w aynei t hernot ed nor ex pl ai ned byt he
r ecodi fi er s of t he El ect i on C ode. R eadi ng §6- 101( g) i n t hi s w ay w oul d al s o depart fr om t he cons t i tut i onal pat t ern of al l ocat i ng t o t he S ec retaryo f S tat e a n d o ther S tat e c o n sti tuti o n al of fice rs r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f

o rr e f e r e n d a o n a l l a c t s o f

t h e G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y. F inally , u n d e r th is r ea d ing , § 6 -10 1 (g)(2 )(i ) i tsel f w o u ld b e m ere su rp lu sa g e . F o r th e s e r e a s o n s, w e b e liev e th a t th e re f e re n c e to gener al “publ i c l aw ” i n §6- 101( g) ( 2) ( i ) r epr es ent s a dr aft i ng er r or th a t sh o u ld n o t b e g iv e n e f f e c t.G en. 120] 131
If § 6 -1 0 1 (g ) is re a d to e m b o d yth e a p p a re n t leg isla tiv e in ten t, t he r el at ed pr ovi s i ons of t he El ect i on C ode ca n be harm oni zed, and par agr aph ( 2) ( i ) of §6- 101( g) i s not m er e surpl us age. I n ouropi ni on, t he Legi s l atur e i nt ended thats uf f i c i e n c yd e t e rmi n a t i ons w i t h r es pect t o a pet i t i on s eeki ng t o r efe ra p u b li c l ocal l aw enac t ed byt he G e n e ra l A ss e m b ly b e h a n d led b y th e S tate B o a rd o f E lec tio n s w ith t he advi ce of

t he A t t or ney G ener al

. W e r ecomm end t hatt he G ener al A ss e m b lye n a c t cla rif

y in g leg isla tio n to c o rre c t th e d ra f tin g e rro r in § 6 -1 0 1 (g ) b yc h a n g in g “ p u b lic g e n e ra l law ” in p a ra g ra p h (2 )(i) to

“ p u b lic lo c a l la w .”
J. Jo sep h C u rran , Jr. A t t or ney G ener al
Ju d ith A . A rm o ld A ss i s t ant A tt o rn eyG eneral
R o b e rt N . M c D o n a ld C hi ef C ouns el O pi ni ons and A dvi ce

E di tor ’s N

ote: Subse quentt o t hi s opi ni on, t he G ener al A s s embl yr ecodi fi ed t he S t at e E l ect i on L aw i n a new E l ect i on L aw A rt i cl e (“EL ”). Ital so amended t he l aw t o excl ude t he r efe r r al o f a p u b li c l ocal l aw fr om t he def i ni t i on of “l ocal pet i t i on” and t o des i gnat e t he l ocal el ect i on b o ard ’s couns el as t he “l egal aut hor i t y ” w i t h r es pectt o l ocal p e titio n s
. See E L §6- 101( f) ( 2) , ( g)

. C hapt er 49, L aw s of M ary l and 2001; C hapt er380, L aw s of M ary l and 2003.