[Mdabs] FW: [Nfbmd] Action Needed in Annapolis on Absentee Ballot Bill

[Chris Nusbaum]

This bill is very important for our independence as blind people; 
please help the NFBMD take action! Please read the message below 
from Sharon Maneki.

Chris Nusbaum


From: "NFBMD" <nfbmd at earthlink.net
To: "Maryland List" <nfbmd at nfbnet.org
 sent: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 16:45:36 -0400
Subject: [Nfbmd] Action Needed in Annapolis on Absentee Ballot 
Bill

Hello All,

Your Help is urgently needed during this last week of the 
Maryland General
Assembly.  Please email or call, read below.



***ACTION ALERT***

Disability Community Help Needed!

SB 1078:  Election Law - Absentee Ballots - Internet or Facsimile
Transmission



.         Please ask members of the House Ways and Means 
Committee to
support SB 1078, which has already passed the full Senate.



.         Tell them SB 1078 is an important bill for the 
disability
community because:



.         The bill permits voters with disabilities and military 
and
overseas voters to receive their absentee ballots by email and to 
use an
accessible online ballot marking tool to mark the ballot before 
printing it
and mailing it in.



.         The bill promotes voter independence and privacy for 
voters with
disabilities.  The online delivery and ballot marking tool will 
be available
to a voter with disabilities if it would assist the voter to vote
independently.



.         The ballot marking tool would allow voters with 
disabilities, such
as voters with a vision disability or a dexterity disability, who 
use
accessible computer technology to mark their absentee ballot 
independently
and privately.



.         SB 1078 provides voters with disabilities who wish to 
vote by
absentee ballot with the same voting opportunities as voters 
without
disabilities!



This technology is NOT online voting.  It is an online absentee 
ballot
delivery and marking system.



SBOE has agreed to an amendment that would require the 
certification of the
online ballot marking tool which will address any security 
concerns.



SB 1078 is an important step to making the absentee ballot 
process
accessible to voters with disabilities.  Call or email your 
Delegate TODAY!



House Ways & Means Committee

If you are not able to contact all committee members, please try 
to contact
the delegates with stars next to their names and let them know 
this bill
will be heard in their committee on Tuesday or Wednesday and is 
important to
the disability committee!



Name
Phone
County

*Sheila E.  Hixson, Chair                                (410) 
841-3469,
(301) 858-3469                   Montgomery

Samuel I.  Rosenberg, Vice-Chair              (410) 841-3297, 
(301) 858-3297
Baltimore City



*Jon S.  Cardin, Subcommittee Chair       (410) 841-3833, (301) 
858-3833
Baltimore County

*Kathryn L.  Afzali                                             
(410)
841-3288, (301) 858-3288                   Frederick

*Kumar P.  Barve                                               
(410)
841-3464, (301) 858-3464                   Montgomery

*Talmadge Branch                                           (410) 
841-3398,
(301) 858-3398                   Baltimore City

*Jolene Ivey                                                      
(410)
841-3478, (301) 858-3478                   Prince George's

*LeRoy E.  Myers, Jr.                                        
(410) 841-3321,
(301) 858-3321                   Allegany & Washington

*Justin D.  Ross                                                  
(410)
841-3652, (301) 858-3652                   Prince George's

*Michael G.  Summers                                    (410) 
841-3340, (301)
858-3340                   Prince George's



Joseph C.  Boteler III                                       
(410) 841-3365,
(301) 858-3365                   Baltimore County

Mark N.  Fisher                                                  
(410)
841-3231, (301) 858-3231                   Calvert

C.  William Frick                                                
(410)
841-3454, (301) 858-3454                   Montgomery

Ronald A.  George                                            
(410) 841-3439,
(301) 858-3439                   Anne Arundel

Glen Glass                                                           
(410)
841-3280, (301) 858-3280                   Cecil & Harford

Carolyn J.  B.  Howard                                      (410) 
841-3919,
(301) 858-3919                   Prince George's

Anne R.  Kaiser                                                  
(410)
841-3036, (301) 858-3036                   Montgomery

Eric G.  Luedtke                                                  
(410)
841-3110, (301) 858-3110                   Montgomery

Aruna Miller                                                      
(410)
841-3090, (301) 858-3090                   Montgomery

Andrew A.  Serafini                                         (410) 
841-3447,
(301) 858-3447                   Washington

Melvin L.  Stukes                                               
(410)
841-3544, (301) 858-3544                   Baltimore City

Frank S.  Turner                                                 
(410)
841-3246, (301) 858-3246                   Howard

Jay Walker                                                          
(410)
841-3581, (301) 858-3581                   Prince George's





*Member of the Election Law Subcommittee who will vote on the 
bill first.







Thank You!



For more information, please contact Lauren Kallins at the 
Maryland
Disability Law Center

LaurenK at mdlclaw.org