Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1942-10-08
League Explains
Proposed Changes
In Constitution
Seven Amendments Placed
On November Ballot Are
Subject OF Simplified Re-
port Of Women Voters

Inc MdryldHu OOHSIlLuIlOH 10 De
put before the voters at the gen.
eral election on November 3 is be-
ing offered by the Montgomery
County League of Women Voters
to members and to other voters in
the county, according to Mrs.
Frank R. Garfield, chairman of
government and its operation for
the League. The explanation of
the amendments in simple terms
has been prepared by Mrs. Ralph
Himstead of the Maryland League
Of Women Voters, and will be
printed in convenient form for dis
tribution to all interested voters.
The Maryland Constitution las
last revised in 1867 provides for
amendment by the enactment of
bills prepared in form for sub
shutting in place of the section to
be amended. These bills must have
the approval of three-fifths of the
membership of both the State
Senate and the House of Delegates
before being proposed as amend
ments. They must then be publish
ed widely in the State by the Gov
ernor, and must be placed on the
ballot at the following election for
the consideration of all legal vot-
ers. A SIMPLE majority of votes
cast on the subject of adoption or
rejection of the amendment decides
the issue. Because of the legal
wording of such amendments the
ordinary voter finds it difficult to
understand just what his vote for
or against the amendment means.
For this reason the total of votes
cast on constitutional amendments
is often much smaller than those
cast for candidates for office. In
many cases, only those vitality in
terested in the gaining or defeat
ing of a particular amendment
vote on the subject.
The Montgomery County League
of Women Voters has undertaken
the job Of informing voters by in
terpreting proposed constitutional
amendments into lay language so
that voters may understand the
meaning and feel able to express
their desires about changing their
Constitution. Two years ago such
service was offered to Montgom-
cry County voters by the League
and proved both popular and use
full. The explanations of the
amendments was allowed in the
polling places as information of
completely non-electioneering ma
ture. 1t is hoped that a similar
ruling may be secured this year
from the Board of Supervisors of
Elections.
Sample copies of the simplifca-
tiOn of the amendments will be
sent to other organizations about
the county and additional copies
will be available at cost from the
Leagues chairman of publications,
Mrs. Hugo Hiemke, 1O8 West
Thornapple Street, Chevy Chase,
Maryland, telephone Oliver 8155.
Analysis of the amendments fol-
lows:
An amendment to Article Ia,
Section l modifies the method of
submitting constitutional amend
ments to the voters. 1t eliminates
the constitutional provision that
one of the Baltimore papers in
which amendments are to be pub
lished must be in the German lam
guage. 1t shortens the number of
necessary publications in county
and Baltimore City newspapers
from weekly for three months to
weekly for three weeks. It also
adds the provision that the Cen
eral Assembly may authorize the
publication of amendments in
pamphlet form to be distributed to
the voters in addition to the news
paper publication.
An amendment to Article 4, Sec
ton 81 has two purposes. 1t adds
an extra judge to the Second and
Seventh Judicial Circuits and also
sets up residence requirements for
the extra judges thus provided for,
and for the judges of the Third
and Sixth Judicial Circuits each of
which already have an additional
associate judge. In the Second
Circuit the new associate Judge
must come from Cecil county. In
the Third Cilouit two associate
judges must be from Baltimore
County oY,d thrae NAV corne from