Maryland has a week of early voting, and since I will not be in town on Nov 2, I voted.

I voted straight Democratic Party, except for Barbara Milulski, because of her vote on the telecom immunity bill. I wrote in my Congressman, John Cardin (D).

When I said that she would never get my vote again, I meant it.

As to various constitutional amendments, state and county:

• I voted no on question 1, which would have required a constitutional convention every 20 years. This is a recipe for mischief and mayhem.
• I voted no on question 2, which would have raised the bar for a jury in a civil trial from $10,000 to 15,000.
• Voted against requiring that Orphans’ Court judges be members of the Maryland Bar. It’s a lay court, and has been for over 200 years, and the Maryland Bar is a private organization, and I do not believe that a private organization, particularly one as insular and secretive as the Bar should determine this.
• As a corollary, I oppose the use of private bars for licensing of lawyers period. It should be public.
• The county wants to change its charter to force binding arbitration and a no strike clause on its workers. I voted no. (It will probably win though, since arbitration sounds fair, and the no strike section is at the end, where people will not see it)

So I am not a bystander in the elections.