Maryland courts have removed three ballot questions from this November’s elections, even though the proposals each received more than 10,000 signatures from voters, the normal threshold for inclusion on the ballot. The Maryland Constitution says that Baltimore residents may vote directly on amendments to the city charter which concern the “form or structure of Baltimore City government.” Passing new laws, on the other hand, is a right reserved only for the City Council.
One blocked ballot measure would have significantly cut property taxes for Baltimore homeowners, which are currently the highest in Maryland; another would have guaranteed $1000 cash payments to new parents, and the third would have approved a controversial Inner Harbor redevelopment plan. While each proposal was rejected for a slightly different reason, the courts essentially considered all three to be creating new laws, and therefore not appropriate to be left up to voters.
It’s certainly not clear that all of these proposals, if passed, would have improved life for people in Baltimore. For example, Mayor Brandon Scott warned that the property tax cut may have caused essential city services such as trash and recycling pickup to be defunded. But all three speak to Baltimore residents’ real needs or wishes, like addressing child poverty, improving home affordability, and reviving the abandoned buildings at the Inner Harbor. The tens of thousands of signatures collected show that people across the city want a chance to have their voices heard on these issues.
But in the system we live in, regular people aren’t allowed to have meaningful input on questions like these. Judge after judge, all the way up to the Maryland Supreme Court, have ruled that the population of Baltimore can’t make decisions about life in this city. It’s time for us to really believe what they are telling us. If we want to have a real say in our society, we need to organize and end this system for good, and create a real democracy in its place.
