Maryland Certifies Nearly 50,000 Anti-DREAM Act Signatures
State Board of Elections certifies 47,000 signatures opposing DREAM Act; 8,500 signatures still needed.
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Opponents of the Maryland DREAM Act are one step closer to letting voters decide if illegal immigrants should receive in-state tuition discounts when they attend colleges and universities in the state.
On Wednesday, the State Board of Elections certified more than 47,000 petition signatures, leaving petition sponsors with little more than 8,000 signatures to collect by the June 30 deadline.
“We issued the letter of certification to the petition sponsor [MDPetitions.com] today,” said Donna Duncan, Election Management Division Director, State Board of Elections. “There were 47,288 accepted signatures [and] 10,217 rejected signatures. The group needs an additional 8,448.”
MDPetitions.com formed only days after the DREAM legislation—granting undocumented immigrants in-state college tuition benefits—narrowly passed in the final hours of this year’s legislative session. The state’s general assembly convenes for 90 days each year beginning on the second Wednesday in January and concluding around mid-April, although this year a special session is scheduled for the fall to address the redistricting of legislative districts and potential tax increases.
For the first time in Maryland’s history, an electronic petition gathering system was used to collect signatures for a referendum process. Out of the 47,288 signatures certified by the state board, 17,092, or about one third, were computer-generated, according to the state board of elections.
The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland) and CASA de Maryland, an immigrants’ rights advocacy group, complained to the state board about the new electronic process in late May. A 20-page ACLU letter claimed fraud and the “pre-filling of petition pages by the sponsor’s computer," which it said was illegal.
“Our intention was to work with the state board of elections to ensure that they understand our analysis of the petition system–that the petition system violates the state election law and is vulnerable to fraud,” said Meredith Curtis, ACLU spokeswoman. “We had originally hoped before any of the signatures were certified, they’d consider this matter separately. The reality is, we have not received a decision or response whatsoever from the state board.”
In response, the state board asked the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for guidance. Any response given to the state board by the OAG will remain confidential, according to OAG spokesman David Paulson. However, a “conclusion to the issue” of concern may be made public by the state board in the future, Paulson said.
MDPetitions.com said the ACLU and CASA complaints are baseless and the ACLU specifically is hypocritical. The website is continuing to encourage petition signers to use the online system.
“In the case of the ACLU, their accusations are downright hypocritical considering their recent opposite petition position in Utah [see Examiner article],” Parrott wrote in an email response to Patch.
While it seems likely petitioners will be able to gather enough signatures to meet their final goal, the threat of a lawsuit looms over their success. When asked if the state board believed DREAM Act advocates would legally challenge the electronic petition gathering system, Duncan said, “It appears that they would, based on questions raised by the ACLU and CASA.”
“We do not comment generally on whether or not we’re planning to file a lawsuit,” Curtis said, while insisting the ACLU’s current focus is on resolving its issues with the state board. However, the May 31 complaint letter seems to lay out a legal argument. CASA did not respond to media inquiries.
MDPetitions.com is being led by former Hagerstown Tea Party leader Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County) and anti-illegal immigrant activist Del. Pat McDonough (R-Baltimore County).
Sen. Victor Ramirez (D-Prince George's County) and Del. Sheila Hixson (D-Montgomery County) were the original co-sponsors of the bill, SB167, which is known as "Public Institutions of Higher Education–Tuition Rates–Exemptions," the name that will appear on the 2012 ballot referendum should the petitioners be successful.
DREAM Act opponents must submit the remaining petition signatures to the state board by June 30. If the required number (55,736) are submitted by that date, the new law will not go into effect. If signatures are certified, the issue will be presented to voters in November 2012.
LosAngelesResident
1:04 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
This is how illegal aliens "pay" taxes. Notice their outrage because they got caught. Hopefully, you are not one of the American citizens who had to fight with the IRS to prove you didn't commit tax fraud because an illegal alien stole your social security number.
"He said that last year about 60,000 Arizona residents filed taxes using a tax ID number, resulting in about $6 million in refunds. The state sampled a "pretty good portion" of those returns, he said, and found that in 80 to 85 percent of them, the ID number did not match information provided on an associated W-2."
"We have a responsibility to try and stop fraudulent returns," he said. "There are people that, and we have found this in the past, who tried to create a W-2 that doesn't even exist or stole somebody's W-2 and tried to get a refund.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2011/04/09/20110409arizona-tax-fraud-crackdown.html
Robert Armstrong
1:59 pm on Saturday, June 25, 2011
What the heck does this have to do with the Maryland DREAM Act ??? Whatever happens in AZ is none of Maryland's concern.
ralahinn1
2:20 pm on Tuesday, June 28, 2011
There are dishonest illegals in all states now, Robert, not just Arizona. Groups like Casa de Maryland teach people how to get fake ID's or get into the system to get US government aid when they have never done anything to earn it. I think Casa should be de-funded because of all the illegal activities they are involved in. I find they have a lot of nerve to say the citizens of this state are submitting faked signatures, considering what they are doing for people who have no right to be in Maryland, let alone the US, in the first place. I wish media organizations would get up and examine Casa de Maryland.
Gary Koloski
3:32 pm on Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Oh yeah, that's what the ACLU is all about, anything to circuvent the rights of the American Citizen to rightfully vote on an issue. We have a right to vote on an issue not have it forced down our throats by legislators. Illegals have no rights, they are here illegally. When are people going to wake up? Look at our National Debt, are the illegals prepared to give up money for that, no they will send it home. They earn it here, it should stay here. I think the IRS should review the tax status of the ACLU and CASA Maryland.
JustABill
4:10 am on Saturday, July 2, 2011
As we will be celebrating our nation's independence this weekend we should all remember that this country was built on the backs of millions of LEGAL immigrants who went through the LEGAL process of becoming a Citizen of the United States of America. They took classes in schools or self taught themselves the English language, they worked hard to earn an honest living and support their families. Some started small businesses and even some of them grew into major corporations but the one common element to their success is they all did it legally, or as the old Smith Barney commercials used to say; "The Earned It!"
If the tens of millions of illegal immigrants truly wish to live the American Dream then they should do as all those who passed through places like Ellis Island did decades ago and go through the painstakingly necessary legal process and earn the right to call themselves Citizens of the United States of America.