Maryland Matters

Maryland Breaks State Record for Single-Day Early Voting Turnout

October 27, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

More than 161,000 Marylanders cast their ballots during the first day of early voting, according to the State Board of Elections, setting what is believed to be a single-day record for early voting in the state.

The total surpassed the previous unofficial single-day early voting record of 143,494 set on the final day of early voting in the 2016 general election.

“We’re extremely pleased that Marylanders are turning out in record numbers to exercise their right to vote,” said Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Linda Lamone. “Today’s record-setting total is in addition to the more than 1.6 million voters who requested a mail-in ballot and the roughly 830,000 who have already submitted them. We are equally pleased that nearly 1,000 people took advantage of same-day registration today in order to cast their ballots.”

By comparison, the 2016 election saw 123,623 voters on the first day of early voting, according to data from the State Board of Elections.

After Day 1 of Early Voting, More Than 1.1 Million Marylanders Have Cast Ballots

With Monday’s 161,000-plus votes combined with the 947,941 mail-in ballots returned so far, more than 1.1 million Marylanders already have voted in the presidential general election.

Voters waited for hours in lines at early voting centers across the state, with many lining up well before the state’s 81 early voting centers opened at 7 a.m. Monday morning. Some told Maryland Matters that worries over Postal Service delays and national rhetoric about mail-in ballots led them to vote in person.

The 2016 General Election saw a total turnout of just over 2.8 million voters. That figure includes Election Day, early voting, mail-in and provisional ballots. Advocates expect longer lines and even more voters at early voting centers going forward.

“We should expect even longer lines as we get closer to Election Day,” Common Cause Maryland Executive Director Joanne Antoine said on Monday.

Early voting will continue until Nov. 2. Voters can head to any early voting center in their jurisdiction. Those centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and will remain open as regular in-person voting centers on Election Day.

During the eight days of early voting, eligible voters may cast their ballots at any authorized early voting center in their jurisdiction of residence. A complete list of early voting centers is available here. Voters may also search here for early voting centers, Election Day voting centers and ballot drop box locations in their area simply by including their zip code.

For voters who missed the advance voter registration deadline, same-day registration will be available at early voting and Election Day vote centers. To prove their place of residence, Marylanders registering in person during early voting or on Election Day will need to bring their Motor Vehicle Administration-issued driver’s license, identification card or change of address card, or a paycheck, bank statement, utility bill or other government document that includes the voter’s name and new address.

“We encourage Marylanders who would like to vote in person to continue to take advantage of early voting,” Lamone said. “While many Marylanders have, and continue to, cast their votes using mail-in ballots, voting early is one way to reduce lines and limit wait times at vote centers. The best time to vote in person is on a weekday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.”

Voters who have already requested a ballot should vote the ballot they receive in the mail. Voters simply complete the ballot, sign the oath on the postage-paid return envelope that accompanies the ballot, seal the envelope and submit it by mail or at an approved ballot drop box location.

Voters may not “trade in” their mail-in ballot during early voting or on Election Day, nor can they scan their mail-in ballot at an in-person vote center. If a voter has already requested or received a mail-in ballot and wants to vote early, the voter will have to cast a provisional ballot. This ballot will be held until election officials confirm the voter did not also return a mail-in ballot. This process ensures only one ballot per voter is counted.

Voters may drop off a mail-in ballot at an early voting center, but the ballot must be properly sealed in the return envelope that accompanied the mail-in ballot. Voters must sign the oath on the return envelope in order for the ballot to be counted.

By Bennett Leckrone

Hogan Announces Second $250 Million Business Relief Plan

October 23, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) on Wednesday pulled $250 million from the state’s rainy day fund, intending to keep small businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic through help with rent, employee salaries, upgrades and other efforts.

During a State House press conference, Hogan said the state’s economic and health recoveries depend on everyday Marylanders continuing to follow safety guidance, while he also pushed some of Maryland’s larger counties to reopen businesses further.

The governor also chided the rate that smaller counties have spent federal stimulus money; only about one-third of $362 million in CARES Act funding directed to 19 counties in the state has been spent so far, with a deadline of Dec. 31.

Hogan said the new state funding would also be required to be spent by the end of the year, and suggested that counties use their unspent federal stimulus money to create matching grants.

“I have directed our teams in each agency to ensure that this much-needed funding gets out the door to our struggling citizens and small businesses as quickly as possible,” Hogan said.

The governor’s relief plan announced Wednesday includes:

$50 million for the Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Fund; the new infusion brings total state spending for fund to $145 million since March and will clear a backlog of all applications that have been submitted.
$50 million in new relief for restaurants, which can be used to help them buy improvements including HVAC filtration, outdoor dining amenities, technology upgrades to help with carryout and delivery orders, protective equipment for employees, or to help with rent. This money will go to counties, which will distribute it to qualifying restaurants.
$20 million for grants from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to help businesses and entertainment venues in the state’s “Main Street Maryland” and “Baltimore Main Streets” programs.
$20 million to the COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund. This program already disbursed $20 million through the Maryland Department of Labor, and has saved 9,000 jobs, Hogan said.
Additional funding includes $5 million to the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority, $2 million for local tourism efforts, and $3 million for arts organizations and artists.

Another $100 million is set aside as an “emergency response fund,” which would allow the state to immediately direct money to areas of economic concern in the future, Hogan said.

The spending will be “critical to the thousands of struggling restaurants, small businesses and main streets across the state who are attempting to weather this crisis,” the governor said.

“Equally important to their survival will be all 24 jurisdictions finally moving into stage three of the Maryland strong roadmap to recovery plan,” Hogan said. State law allows counties to reopen at a pace slower than the statewide recommendations, depending on local health concerns.

Some of Maryland’s larger jurisdictions, where COVID-19 case rates have been higher, continue to limit certain businesses, including indoor dining.

“They had particular situations on the ground that caused them to go a little slower, which they thought was prudent,” Hogan said. But now, he said he believes health metrics in the counties warrant wider reopening efforts.

“We’re trying to get the schools open, we’re trying to get the businesses open,” Hogan said.

Overall, Maryland’s economy is rebounding faster than other states, but more help is still needed for small businesses, Hogan said.

“Our economy is doing better than the country and most almost all the states in America, but it’s still really bad. It’s not it’s not a great situation for all these hardworking, struggling folks,” he said.

The governor continued to call on federal lawmakers to get moving on a second round of nationwide stimulus relief.

“We need both parties in Washington to stop playing politics to end the gridlock and to get this done for the American people,” Hogan said. “Our small business community and our struggling Marylanders who depend on them for their jobs cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), who has been instigating for a state-level small business stimulus, including at Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting chaired by Hogan, said after the announcement that the proposal was insufficient.

Franchot, a likely candidate for governor in 2022, has suggested an infusion of at least $500 million, either from 2020 surplus funds, the state’s rainy day fund, or through borrowing.

“Today’s announcement by Governor Hogan is a good start, but it’s simply not enough,” Franchot said. “Contrary to the Governor’s analysis of our fiscal posture, we are in a position to do more without taking another penny from the Rainy Day Fund.”

Franchot also noted that $100 million of Hogan’s proposal is not yet earmarked for relief.

“Just two years ago, the State of Maryland was willing to pony up $8.6 Billion to lure Amazon’s East Coast headquarters. Surely, we can do better than letting tens of thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, and Main Street communities fight over scraps,” Franchot said in a statement.

Hogan said during the press conference that his administration landed on the $250 million figure because it would leave the state’s rainy day fund with about $1 billion, which has been the state’s longtime recommended reserve level.

Hogan also cautioned Wednesday that the state is monitoring a small uptick in coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the past week and that small gatherings and parties continue to be the number one source of new cases in the state.

“We can’t let our guard down and we should remain vigilant ― even when we are in close contact with the people that we know and love,” Hogan said. “Outdoor activity continues to be much safer than indoor activity, and frequent hand washing remains a critically important tool. Following these simple guidelines will keep us firmly on the road to recovery and help us slow the spread, prevent the surge and keep Maryland open for business.”

By Danielle E. Gaines

Report: Two Lower Shore Counties Have Unhealthy Levels of Nitrate in Drinking Water Due to CAFOs

October 21, 2020 by Maryland Matters 1 Comment

Two counties on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore, where there are hundreds of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), have unhealthy levels of nitrate in drinking water, which may lead to health problems such as blue baby syndrome, thyroid disease and pregnancy complications.

More than a third of Wicomico and Worcester counties’ population, or at least 61,000 residents, may have been or are currently exposed to dangerous nitrate levels, according to a recent study by The Center for Progressive Reform.

One in every 25 private drinking water wells in the two counties have nitrate levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water threshold, while one in every 14 wells had nitrate levels below the threshold, but at levels that may also be harmful to health. In addition, one public water utility reported nitrate levels above the EPA threshold while more than half reported nitrate levels below. The measurements were taken between 2018 and 2020.

Maryland Treasurer Nancy Kopp, during Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting, asked Gov. Larry Hogan to have the appropriate officials in the state health department look into the report.

Blue baby syndrome, which affects babies under six months old, is one of the most recognized risks of nitrate consumption. A baby’s stomach can easily convert nitrate into nitrite, which can harm the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity and lead to oxygen deprivation and death, according to the study. Furthermore, nitrate pollution in drinking water may be responsible for 12,500 cases of cancer per year in the US, as well as low birth rates and preterm births, according to a 2019 study from the Environmental Working Group.

Although no state is required to periodically test private well water, the study found that Maryland was one of the top five states with the fewest policies protecting residents from nitrates in private well drinking water, which raises concerns as most Lower Eastern Shore residents rely on private wells. Nor does the federal Safe Drinking Water Act ― which sets the maximum threshold for nitrates in public drinking water ― extend its protections to private drinking water wells or smaller community water systems, which 42 million Americans rely on.

Water from Maryland private wells are only required to be tested at the time they are constructed, and the state does not offer financial assistance for well water testing or notify private well owners when there is known contaminated groundwater nearby.

“These findings are troubling on their own, but they raise larger questions,” co-author Katlyn Schmitt said in a statement. “What don’t we know about nitrate contamination in private wells and public water sources on the Lower Eastern Shore? Are health hazards lurking just beneath the surface, unknown and unaddressed because of a lack of testing and transparency? Additional investigation and more testing are needed to determine the extent of nitrate pollution and its impacts in this region.”

The amount of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Maryland, which are mostly on the Lower Eastern Shore, has dramatically increased from seven in 2009 to 526 in October 2020. Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset have the highest number of CAFOs, respectively.

“A single poultry CAFO raising 82,000 laying hens can produce 2,800 tons of manure a year, more than three times the amount produced by the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore each year,” Darya Minovi, CPR Policy Analyst and co-author, said in a statement. “Though private well testing data is limited, our investigation found indicators that CAFO pollution is contaminating the groundwater that residents rely on for their drinking water. Since nitrates are colorless, tasteless, and odorless, most families don’t even know that it’s in their water.”

Wicomico and Worcester each has nearly 9 million broilers on factory farms, which produce over 120 million pounds of litter, according to a 2020 study by Food & Water Watch.

The large amounts of manure that CAFOs produce are one of the leading sources of nitrogen pollution in Maryland waterways, which increased by 30% between 2009 and 2018, according to the report. Most of the manure is applied to fields in a solid or liquid form in large concentrations rather than undergoing sewage treatment, which makes it easy for nitrates from the manure to enter groundwater through rain or irrigation, according to the report. Last year, the General Assembly passed a bill that requires farms to report how much manure is generated and where it is transported.

Nitrate pollution also disproportionately affects minority, low-income families, the report suggests. Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset counties have higher proportions of people living in poverty than the state average. Somerset and Wicomico counties also have the highest proportion of Black residents in Maryland’s Shore counties.

Neither boiling nor chemical disinfectants can remove nitrates from drinking water. Rather, more expensive technology such as ion exchange or reverse osmosis is needed, which may not be an option for low-income families.

To address high levels of nitrates in drinking water on the Lower Eastern Shore, the report recommends that Maryland set safe drinking water standards for private wells and other community systems, which are not covered under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The report also recommends a statewide moratorium on new CAFOs, which has been demanded by advocates for the last few years.

All water quality testing results for private wells should be available on a public online portal and the Maryland Department of Health and Maryland Department of the Environment should create a compensation program that helps pay for well water testing and prioritize low-income residents, the report concludes.

By Elizabeth Shwe

What Happens in Md. if the Supreme Court Strikes Down the Affordable Care Act?

October 15, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

In the span of six months, Timothy Reyburn bought a new car, lost his job and his wife was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.

This was in 1994 — the same year that he founded Ticoscen, Inc., his small evaporative light scattering detector company in Laurel. As a new business owner, Reyburn needed to figure out health insurance for himself and his wife.

“We got lucky in 1994, getting coverage,” he told Maryland Matters in a phone interview Tuesday.

In 1993, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation that mandated insurers to develop “community rates” for small businesses employing between two and 50 people. The legislation also prohibited insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions within these employee groups.

Reyburn said he “made an omelet out of it”: he started his company and grouped himself and his wife under his small business, ensuring that she received ongoing care for her chronic condition.

But problems persisted: Throughout the 1990s and early aughts, the Reyburns watched their policies get more restrictive and their premiums skyrocket — sometimes doubling.

“The only way we could manage that was we kept getting lesser and lesser coverage,” he recalled.

By the time President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act — colloquially known as “Obamacare” — into law in 2010, the Reyburns were “on pretty thin coverage,” saving their doctors visits for “catastrophic” circumstances, he said.

Reyburn “went to the mat” to support the law. He and his wife purchased two individual plans, opting for maximum coverage and marveling at its specifics.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re getting way more coverage, no pre-existing conditions restrictions, no lifetime cap … and saving beaucoup bucks,’” he said.

“And the price was right,” Reyburn explained. He said that the cost of their premiums went down “like, $10,000 a year.”

He now goes in for regular preventative care: physicals, flu shots and many, many COVID-19 tests. He travels for work, and because every state has its own policy he has had five tests administered since March.

“If I don’t have insurance, I’m going to be paying that out of my pocket,” Reyburn said.

But now he worries what will happen to his family if the ACA is struck down by the Supreme Court. Justices are scheduled to hear another challenge to the law next month — and the likelihood that Judge Amy Coney Barrett will be confirmed to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg puts the ACA in particular peril.

“I don’t know what we’re gonna do if we lose it,” he said. “That’s the point, you know. I’m concerned [for] what it would mean to her; to me, as a business person.”

Maryland policy leaders are also wondering what would happen — and are trying to take steps to protect people’s health care coverage.

The Affordable Care Act has plenty of critics. Republicans in Congress have been trying to kill it almost from the minute it became law, and it has been challenged in the courts for years.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear California v. Texas, a suit that could determine whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, on Nov. 11 — one week after the presidential election.

During a virtual news conference this week, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called the Republican effort to hustle Barrett through the confirmation process “a grotesque abuse of power” and an “illegitimate effort to pack the court” with a nominee who has written unfavorably about a prior Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act.

“Chief Justice [John] Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute,” Barrett wrote in a 2017 Constitutional Commentary.

Van Hollen said that the law was nearly struck down by the Senate in 2017, but was saved in the 11th hour “by one vote.”

“It took every single Democratic senator plus three Republican senators to prevent Donald Trump and Sen. [Mitch] McConnell (R-Ky.) from achieving their goal of overturning the Affordable Care Act,” he said. “But what they were not able to accomplish legislatively through the democratic process, they are now trying to accomplish by ramming a Supreme Court justice through even though millions of Americans have already cast their votes in this presidential election.”

What would happen in Maryland?

Following the 2017 attempt to kill the Affordable Care Act, the Maryland General Assembly created the Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission, “which is set up, basically, in the event the ACA was thrown out by the Congress at the time, [to address] how would Maryland respond,” said state Sen. Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery).

According to Betsy Plunkett, a spokeswoman from the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange, 750,000 Marylanders were uninsured before the Affordable Care Act was enacted.

Feldman, the commission’s Senate chair, said approximately 400,000 state residents have gained access to health insurance since the federal law was enacted in 2010, dropping the number of uninsured Marylanders from 12% to 6%.

Plunkett told Maryland Matters that one in every six Marylanders is enrolled for health insurance through the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange: 1.1 million via Medicaid and 160,000 in private plans.

Over 158,000 Maryland residents applied for coverage under the Affordable Care Act during the regular 2020 open enrollment period, and about 75,000 more signed up during the COVID-19 special enrollment period this spring and summer.

Feldman said that the Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission was established amid the debate to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act in an effort to stop the number of people covered from backsliding.

Del. Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s), the House chair of the commission, said that the General Assembly has been “proactive” in making sure that residents’ access to insurance is protected, even if the Affordable Care Act is struck down by the Supreme Court.

“We’re getting in front of the problem because we don’t know what the Supreme Court is going to rule,” she said. “ I feel pretty confident that we will be OK.”

During the truncated 2020 legislative session, Feldman successfully sponsored legislation to codify the consumer protections provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law. Under the bill, insurance companies must allow children to remain on their parents’ health insurance plans up to age 26, are required to limit cost sharing for preventive care services, and are prohibited from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, among other measures currently protected under the federal act.

Van Hollen said Tuesday that 2.5 million Marylanders are classified as having pre-existing conditions.

Co-sponsored in the House by Health and Government Operations Chairwoman Shane E. Pendergrass (D-Howard), the bill was enacted without Republican Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s signature.

In addition to guaranteeing these consumer protections, the commission has gone to lengths to ensure Maryland residents maintain access to affordable health care and medications, including:

• A 2018 bill to establish a reinsurance program in an initiative to give people who aren’t able to buy insurance through their employer the ability to purchase it on their own through the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange, without having to pay astronomical premiums;

• The implementation of the state’s Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program in 2019, which helps people determine their enrollment eligibility by filling out a section of their tax return;

• The creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to ensure that Maryland residents aren’t victim to over-priced prescription drugs;

• And a 2020 bill that established a state-based insurance subsidies program, which allows the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange to bolster the individual insurance market via health insurance provider fee assessments and a federal waiver.

“We know that, since Trump has been in office, the Republicans have tried very hard to kill the ACA. And in Maryland, we know that it works,” Peña-Melnyk said. “Is it perfect? No. But does it work? Yes. Are people in Maryland covered for the first time? Absolutely.”

Funding challenges

Even with the consumer protections Maryland policymakers added to the ACA, Feldman has concerns about its durability if the Supreme Court rules that it’s unconstitutional.

“What the [Maryland] bill did not address, and this is something we would have to deal with, is the money,” he said.

Under the Affordable Care Act, states are given federal money for Medicaid expansion and tax credits to cover low-income individuals. Feldman told Maryland Matters in a phone interview that any federal money that the state receives as a result of the Affordable Care Act would cease to flow.

“We have hundreds of thousands of Marylanders who now have health insurance either because of the expansion of Medicaid or they’re able to take advantage of the federal tax credits, the federal money that allows them to purchase health insurance at affordable costs,” he said. “But if those monies are all thrown out then we have maybe half a million Marylanders who…may not be able to afford health insurance.”

“We dealt with the consumer protection part of it, but we’re not sure — and we can’t really be sure — how we would deal with the budget situation and how we would replace the federal money that accompanies the Affordable Care Act if it’s thrown out.”

Feldman said that it’s one thing to provide people protections if they’re denied health care and another to provide them access to affordable care.

He noted a lot of unknowns: Will states be given relief for insurance programs under another federal stimulus package — if there is one? What will Maryland’s budget look like at the end of the next fiscal year? If the Supreme Court rules the Affordable Care Act to be unconstitutional, will it be gutted in full or will pieces of it be shaved away? And if the justices opt for the latter, which parts will remain?

“It really would depend, in large part, on how the court rules,” Feldman said.

Maryland remains under a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has infected almost 133,000 residents and killed 3,877.

Peña-Melnyk said that a federal discussion about striking health care for millions when it’s most needed is “negligent” and “inhumane.”

Feldman says the pandemic has revealed a lot of America’s fault lines.

“The underbelly of the United States and some of our weak links have really been exposed for the world to see,” he said. “And I can’t imagine a worse time to be talking about repealing or invalidating the Affordable Care Act, whether it’s what has been in Congress and the Trump administration taking steps to dismantle the Affordable Care Act or, ultimately, at the Supreme Court level, where you’ve got many states and the Trump administration affirmatively taking the position that the Affordable Care Act should get thrown out.”

“It’s really, quite candidly, almost inexplicable.”

By Hannah Gaskill

Analysis Finds Harris Is Part of Trump’s ‘Unbreakable Wall’ in Congress

October 15, 2020 by Maryland Matters 1 Comment

President Trump probably views the Maryland congressional delegation as a vast wasteland of criticism and opposition.

But if he was only going to have one ally in the state, he couldn’t do much better than Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R), a comprehensive analysis of GOP members of Congress found.

The analysis was conducted by Axios, which looked at how Republican members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have responded to various Trump controversies.

Harris earned a “Trump Loyalty Score” of 88 and he voted 93% of the time with the president. Not quite a perfect 100, but good enough for a fifth-place tie in the entire Congress.

The voting index relied on data from FiveThirtyEight.

The loyalty score analyzed what lawmakers said — if anything — during seven of the president’s “biggest crises”: the “Access Hollywood” recording during the 2016 campaign; the travel ban on people from Muslim-majority nations early in Trump’s presidency; his comments about the racial violence in Charlottesville, Va.; his “s—hole countries” remark; the “go back” tweet directed at women of color serving in Congress; his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to his impeachment in the House; and his use of government forces to stage his Bible photo-op in June.

Axios produced a checkerboard grid that links to each lawmaker’s response — or non-response — to those events.

For his part, Harris either agreed with the president’s actions or words, offered a couple words of mild criticism followed immediately by an ad hoc condemnation of various Democrats (Hillary Clinton, for example), or he refused to say anything.

A hard-charging conservative who knocked off fellow Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in 2010, Harris’ fealty to Trump is well-chronicled.

Like the president, Harris has been a vocal supporter of reopening the economy, despite the pandemic.

Trump endorsed Harris after the congressman spoke approvingly about the much-criticized violence against protesters near the White House on June 1. Not that he needed the boost.

Harris won a fifth term in 2018, when he defeated Democrat Jesse Colvin handily. The incumbent, a physician and former state Senator, received 60% of the vote. Colvin, a military veteran, received 38%. Harris is heavily favored over another military veteran, Mia Mason, in November.

Trump carried Harris’ Eastern Shore district with 60% of the vote in 2016. Clinton received 35%.

Through a spokesman, Harris declined to comment on the Axios story.

For the record, the Republican members of Congress who were deemed even “Trumpier” than Harris: Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman; Georgia Sen. David Perdue; Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz; and North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer. Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert tied Harris for fifth.

By Bruce DePuyt

Marylanders’ Attitudes About Government’s COVID Response Vary By Demographic

October 14, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

Nearly half of all Marylanders have experienced financial hardship since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and people remain concerned that they or a loved one will get sick, according to a just-released survey.

Skepticism about a potential vaccine is high across the state, regardless of ideology.

Republicans are much more skeptical about the benefits of mask-wearing and social distancing than Democrats.

And Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) continues to get very high marks for his handling of the crisis — particularly from residents of the Washington, D.C. suburbs, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by wide margins.

The wide-ranging poll’s cross-tabs, which look at gender, ideology, race, geography and other characteristics, reveal fairly broad demographic differences.

The Goucher College poll of 1,002 Maryland residents was taken between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4 by the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College. It had a 3.1-point margin of error.

The main takeaways:

A strong majority (58%) of residents said Maryland’s approach to reopening the economy has been “about right.” Nearly a quarter (23%) believed the state moved “too quickly;” 16% said reopenings came “too slowly.”

Half of survey respondents (51%) said they believe the worst of the pandemic “is behind us,” a view that runs counter to the warnings being expressed by public health experts. Forty percent of Marylanders believe the worst “is yet to come.”

Just under half (45%) of residents have experienced “severe” or “moderate” financial hardship since the virus hit the state in March; 55% said they had endured no money woes.

Nearly seven in 10 Marylanders said they have some or a great deal of concern that they or a loved one will become infected, while 31% who have little or no concern.

By an overwhelming margin, residents remain happy with Hogan’s coronavirus leadership. The former head of the National Governors Association moved aggressively to close schools, limit business activity and ramp up the public health response when the virus first hit.

By a better than 5-to-1 margin, Marylanders give the second-term executive, who has started to position himself for a potential White House bid in 2024, a thumbs-up for his decision-making and rhetoric.

The poll’s cross-tabs reveal a lot about the ways race, age, political ideology and geography shape Marylanders’ attitudes toward the epidemic and public health.

Exposure concern, masks and the future of COVID-19

Republicans are much less concerned about COVID-19 infection hitting their family. Overall concern about an infection is high (69-31). Among Democrats it’s even higher (82-18). But only 47% of Republicans say they’re worried about exposure.

Party affiliation also affects residents’ views of public-health precautions.

By an 11-1 margin, residents believe that wearing masks and social distancing “can help stop the spread” of the virus. Support is highest among Democrats (98-2) and women (94-5). It is lower among Republicans (77-19) and men (84-13).

Echoing the concerns raised by scientists and public health leaders, Democrats (52-38), Blacks (54-40) and women (46-45) believe the pandemic will get worse. Conversely, Republicans (74-18), whites (56-33) and men (57-33) believe “the worst is behind us.”

Although a majority of residents of all stripes think the pace of the state’s reopening has been “about right,” women, Democrats and younger adults were more likely to say that the state has moved “too quickly.”

“Women are displaying more caution than their male counterparts,” said political science professor Mileah Kromer, the director of the survey, in an interview. “It seems to be on the basis of caution. It’s slight, but it’s present.”

Financial hardship

The COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the state’s economy, and while some rehiring has occurred, the impacts on families have been widespread. Jobs have been lost and tens of thousands of people have been forced to dig into their savings and rely on help from friends, family and food banks to meet basic needs.

Younger adults (56-44), Blacks (53-47), people of “other races” (54-46) and people who didn’t go to college (52-48) reported moderate or severe financial hardship due to the economic slowdown.

People aged 35 and up, college graduates and whites — those more likely to be able to work from home or are retired — were more likely to say they had not endured any financial woes due to the coronavirus.

In an analysis for Maryland Matters, Goucher revealed that residents of the Baltimore region were more likely to have experienced financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents of Baltimore City and Baltimore County (56-44) said they have had money woes. People who live in the Washington, D.C., suburbs (43-57) were less likely to have struggled financially. The same was true for the residents of Central Maryland, the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland (41-59).

Hogan

Hogan turned over the reins of state government to Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R) in March, so that he could focus on the pandemic full time.

Like his overall job-approval numbers, Hogan’s handling of the virus (82-16) would be the envy of any leader.

His support is highest, remarkably, in two counties dominated by Democrats, Prince George’s (91-9) and Montgomery (85-12).

Democrats (86-13) like his COVID game plan even more than Republicans (75-23). And his support among Blacks for the way he has handled the public health crisis (85-14) edges out his white backing (81-17).

Kromer thinks the stark contrast between Hogan and President Trump works in the governor’s favor in the D.C. suburbs.

“I have to wonder if there is something there, given how prominent the federal government is in the D.C. suburbs,” she said. “They are in a hot spot and they’ve been in a hot spot for a while.”

Hogan is part of a group of Northeast governors whose early, aggressive actions have won them applause. Many Southern and Midwestern governors who were outspoken about the need to reopen have seen their poll numbers tank.

Vaccines

President Trump, who has made more than 20,000 false statements since taking office, according to a Washington Post count, has repeatedly promised that a vaccine will be available this year, a statement contradicted by his own to advisers.

The Goucher poll found that Marylanders are skeptical about vaccines.

Asked whether they would take an “FDA-approved” vaccine, 49% said no, while 48% said yes.

Younger adults (56-41) and whites (54-43) were more willing to do so. Adults between 35 and 54 (38-59) and Blacks (38-61) said they would decline.

By Bruce DePuyt

Md. Dems Get Perfect Score From Human Rights Campaign, While Harris Gets a Zero

October 13, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

According to a congressional scorecard published this week by the Human Rights Campaign, nearly every member of the Maryland congressional delegation has voted in favor of human and civil rights bills considered during the 116th Congress, earning a perfect score of 100%.

The odd man out is Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) who has voted in opposition to each bill that the organization used to grade members of Congress, earning a score of 0% — not just for this year but for the last three.

Harris, the delegation’s only Republican, is facing Mia Mason (D), a military veteran and champion of LGBTQ rights, in his bid for a sixth term in the First Congressional District.

The report card scored lawmakers based on their votes on a series of civil rights and anti-discrimination bills, including:

The Equality Act, which would provide LGBTQ individuals protections from discrimination in employment, credit, housing, education and federal programs;
The Speier Amendment , which seeks to codify the military’s equal opportunity employment policy under the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act;
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which would reinstall certain domestic violence programming;
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020 which would expand the government’s ability to combat voter discrimination;
The American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which seeks to give Dreamers the ability to apply for permanent legal status and eventual U.S. citizenship;
The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which looked to ensure that all gun sales require background checks;
And the article to impeach President Trump.

All of these initiatives passed in the House.

Lawmakers were also graded on their co-sponsorship of several other civil rights initiatives, including:

The Do No Harm Act, which would amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to prohibit the people from using the original bill to infringe upon civil rights laws;
The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, which would classify conversion therapy as a fraudulent and harmful practice and require the Federal Trade Commission to protect consumers against it;
The Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2019, which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to mandate school districts in states that receive funding under the initial bill to enforce rules that would ban harassment against individuals on the basis of their race, color, sex, orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion or disability;
The Every Child Deserves A Family Act, which would bar public child welfare agencies that receive federal funding from discriminating against children and adoptive or foster families on the basis of their their gender expression, sexual orientation or marital status;
The FAMILY Act, which would provide aid to working families following the birth or adoption of a child, as well as in personal circumstances, like illness, which would require them to take a leave of absence from their jobs;
And the International Human Rights Defense Act of 2019, which would make the prevention of violence or discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community a foreign policy priority.

All of these were supported by the Human Rights Campaign. Every Democrat in the Maryland delegation, save for Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), who was sworn into former Rep. Elijah Cummings’ (D-Md.) seat in May, scored 100% on the score card’s grading scale. Mfume was not included in the tally.

Harris voted in opposition to each of these measures.

The report card also took a look at how lawmakers voted on amendments the HRC opposed, specifically:

The Cole Amendment, which would have removed a provision of the FY2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, Foreign Operations and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act that sought to allow medical professionals to deny care to LGBTQ individuals and people needing “reproductive care”;
And the Duncan Amendment that sought to remove a provision of the Further Continuing Appropriations Act that would have codified the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s guidance regarding the placement of transgender people in single-sex emergency shelters.

Both of these amendments were defeated. All of the Democratic members of the delegation voted in opposition to these amendments. Harris voted in favor of the Cole amendment, but withheld his vote for the Duncan amendment.

Maryland Matters reached out to Harris for comment on his scores, but did not receive an immediate response.

By Hannah Gaskill

Poll Shows Marylanders on Board With Police Reform

October 12, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

As Maryland legislative committees craft comprehensive police reform packages for the 2021 General Assembly session, they appear to have significant support from voters, according to a recently-completed poll.

The Goucher College Poll, conducted in late September and early October, found strong support for a variety of measures designed to crack down on police violence and seek more accountability for law enforcement:

87% of Marylanders surveyed said they support creating a record of police misconduct cases that would be available to the public and other law enforcement agencies, while 10% said they would oppose such a requirement.
85% said they support requiring that criminal misconduct charges against police officers be investigated by an independent state prosecutor rather than by an internal police affairs unit, while 10% said they were opposed.
82% of poll respondents supported requiring police officers to undergo racial bias training, while 17% said they opposed a requirement.
79% supported creating uniform statewide de-escalation and use-of-force policies for all Maryland police departments to follow, while 16% said they opposed.
79% also supported increasing funding for police departments to hire more or better trained officers ― a proposal 19% opposed.
60% said they support laws banning police from using chokeholds or strangleholds when making an arrest, while 35% opposed.
54% said they support reducing the budget for the police department in their community and shifting the funds to social programs related to mental health, housing, and education, a concept that 43% opposed.

“Maryland residents are largely supportive of key police reforms that are currently being discussed by state lawmakers and have dominated our national discourse,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College, who worked with students to craft poll questions and conduct the poll. “Some of these proposals, like creating statewide use-of force policies and requiring police officers to undergo racial bias training, earn support from majorities of Democrats and Republicans. But there’s a mixed message on police budgets.”

Just 28% of those surveyed said they support the movement to “defund the police,” while 68% opposed it.

Two-thirds of survey respondents ― 66% ― said they viewed the police favorably, while 30% said they had an unfavorable view of law enforcement. Among Black Marylanders, 54% said they viewed the police favorably, while 41% said they viewed the police unfavorably. Among white Marylanders, police had a 73% to 24% favorable to unfavorable rating.

Sixty-five percent of residents said they view the Black Lives Matter movement favorably, compared to 29% percent who viewed it unfavorably. Among Black Marylanders, the numbers were 85% favorable and 11% unfavorable. Among white Marylanders, 56% viewed the movement favorably, compared to 38% who viewed BLM unfavorably.

The poll of 1,002 Maryland adults was taken Sept. 30-Oct. 4 and had a 3.1-point margin of error. Some of the questions in the poll surveyed 918 registered voters and carried a 3.2-point error margin.

But policing is not the top issue on the minds of Marylanders. Asked an open-ended question about the most important issue facing the state today, 30% cited the COVID-19 public health crisis, 22% said economic issues, 8% said education, 5% said health care generally, another 5% said politics and political leadership, while 4% said crime/criminal justice/policing. The environment and racism each were mentioned by 3% of Maryland adults.

Sixty-three percent of Marylanders said they believe the state is heading in the right direction ― a surprisingly rosy scenario compared to national polls. Thirty-one percent said the state is on the wrong track. In February ― before the coronavirus outbreak ― the right track-wrong track numbers for the state were 49% to 32%.

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) continues to rack up high numbers in the Goucher poll. Seventy-one percent of adults surveyed ― including 69% of Democrats ― said they approved of the job Hogan was doing. Twenty-three percent said they disapproved, while 5% said they did not know and 1% refused to answer.

In February, Hogan’s job approval rating stood at 62%; 20% of Marylanders disapproved and 17% said they did not know.

Hogan is viewed a lot more favorably than the Republican Party. The GOP has a 35% to 61% favorable to unfavorable rating, compared to a 54% to 43% favorable to unfavorable rating for Democrats. That roughly comports with voter registration statistics in Maryland: As of a month ago, 55% of registered voters were Democrats while 25% were Republican. The rest belonged to smaller political parties or were unaffiliated.

In the Goucher poll, 26% of registered voters said they considered themselves conservative, while 44% described themselves as moderate and 28% called themselves progressive.

The first installment of the latest Goucher poll, released late last week, was on the presidential horse race in Maryland and measured voters’ attitudes on in-person vs. mail-in voting.

The third and final installment, to be released Tuesday morning, deals largely with COVID-19 in Maryland and the government response.

By Josh Kurtz

Md. Elections Officials Say They’re Ready to ‘Rock and Roll’

October 11, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

With less than a month until the Nov. 3 election, state election officials say they are ready to “rock and roll” as preparations wrap up.

The last of Maryland’s roughly 19 million ballots for in-person voting will arrive at local boards of elections across the state on Friday, Deputy Election Administrator Nikki Charlson told members of the State Board of Elections during a virtual meeting on Thursday. Mail-in ballots are being delivered to voters on a rolling basis, with more than 1.3 million requested as of Wednesday.

“We’re at the endgame,” State Board Chairman Michael R. Cogan (R) said.

Board members approved a last-minute regulatory change during the meeting, allowing voters with mail-in ballots to turn them in at early voting centers. Voters who get mail-in ballots can now submit ballots at in-person Election Day and early voting centers, return them by mail or drop them off at ballot boxes across the state.

Charlson said voters don’t have to use a ballot box in their home jurisdiction, and can submit their ballot at any of the roughly 280 boxes scattered across the state. She said local boards will make sure every ballot gets to the right place after they’re collected.

The State Board of Elections won’t meet again until after the election — and board members used their final meeting to laud state and local election staff for their work in setting up the election.

Many local boards of elections faced major obstacles in preparing for the election. In addition to dealing with thousands of vacant poll worker positions, local election officials had to scramble to find locations for the state’s more than 300 voting centers with little notice after state officials shifted away from regular polling locations.

“I’m about as confident as you can get that this train is loaded up, and will arrive at its destination on time,” Board Vice Chairman Patrick J. Hogan (D) said.

Cogan said the election is now in the hands of local election workers, and invoked a famous photograph of General Dwight D. Eisenhower speaking with paratroopers just before the invasion of Normandy in World War II before addressing election staff across the state.

“In any struggle, and this is a struggle between people and process, but in any struggle the side that prevails is the side that refuses to yield,” Cogan said, “That, when exhausted, keeps going.”

By Bennett Leckrone

Shakeup Hits Senate Republican Caucus

October 7, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

Maryland Senate Republicans will enter the 2021 General Assembly session with new leaders, the GOP caucus announced Tuesday night.

In a statement, the caucus said Minority Leader J.B. Jennings (R-Harford) and Minority Whip Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore) would not seek reelection to their leadership posts this fall.

“After six years of serving this Caucus as its Leader and Whip, we are incredibly proud of the work we have done to support our party, our members, our constituents and the people of Maryland,” Jennings and Hershey said in a joint statement. “We have accomplished a great deal, and we believe now is the time to allow a new team to build on this success and lead our caucus into the 2022 election season.”

Sources said their likely replacements when the Senate GOP Caucus meets for a leadership election on Saturday will be Anne Arundel County Sen. Bryan F. Simonaire for minority leader and Frederick County Sen. Michael R. Hough for whip.

In recent weeks, there have been whispers that Jennings and/or Hershey could face challenges for their leadership posts from more conservative colleagues; their decision to step down may forestall internecine warfare.

Simonaire and Hough would represent a perceptible shift to the right compared to Jennings and Hershey ― and their likely ascension represents an attempt by conservatives to flex their muscle within the 15-member caucus and in the Senate chamber

Simonaire is a vocal opponent of abortion rights and does not shy away from debates over social issues on the Senate floor, even when defeat is inevitable. Hough has been an influential conservative on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee who has helped steer legislation on criminal justice and has led successful Republican charges to amend legislation on the Senate floor. In his day job, Hough works as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) on Capitol Hill.

Jennings in particular was close to former Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), who gave up his gavel last fall. Miller’s replacement, current Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), is considerably to Miller’s left, and the GOP caucus move may be reacting to the changes within the 32-member Democratic caucus.

Hershey over the past year or so has occasionally used social media to criticize President Trump. Both Jennings and Hershey are pivotal members of the Senate Finance Committee and skillful orators during Senate floor debates.

Ferguson paid tribute to Jennings and Hershey in a statement Tuesday night.

Sen. J.B. Jennings (R-Baltimore and Harford counties) spoke at a press conference in March announcing a quick end to the 2020 legislative session as COVID-19 was spreading through the state. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) looks on. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines.

“Minority Leader Jennings and Minority Whip Hershey have been steadfast advocates for the Republican Caucus and their issues during their time as Leader and Whip,” he said. “They have been able to disagree without being disagreeable, and their leadership has helped the Senate produce better legislation for all Marylanders. At a time when partisanship has reached extremes, Senators Jennings and Hershey always focused on what is most important: solving problems for our constituents. This leadership style benefited all Marylanders, regardless of political affiliation.”

But Ferguson’s statement also included recognition that collegiality in the Senate chamber could be at risk.

“I am hopeful that the Minority Caucus will elect leaders who will continue to focus on the values of productivity and collaboration that define the Senate of Maryland,” he said.

In a letter to his colleagues Tuesday night, Jennings paid tribute to Republican achievements and unity within the caucus.

“Over the years, we have celebrated many victories in the Senate,” he wrote. “We have worked together to amend bills to strip them of their worst components, and we have defeated a lot of reckless and irresponsible pieces of legislation that did not serve the best interests of this State. Above all, despite the fact that we sit in the minority, we have made a major impact on legislation that affects the everyday lives of Marylanders. We have personified the word teamwork, and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together on the floor of the Senate.”

Jennings also boasted of the Republican caucus’ fundraising progress since he became leader.

“We may not have won every battle,” he told his colleagues, “but there is no doubt, we always won the debate.”

By Josh Kurtz. Danielle E. Gaines contributed to this report.

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