Section 7-103 - Text of questions. - Maryland Statutes

§ 7-103. Text of questions.
 

(a)  County attorney.- In this section, "county attorney" means: 

(1) the attorney or law department established by a county charter or local law to represent the county generally, including its legislative and executive officers; or 

(2) if the county charter or local laws provide for different attorneys to represent the legislative and executive branches of county government, the attorney designated to represent the county legislative body. 

(b)  General guidelines.- Each question shall appear on the ballot containing the following information: 

(1) a question number or letter as determined under subsection (d) of this section; 

(2) a brief designation of the type or source of the question; 

(3) a brief descriptive title in boldface type; 

(4) a condensed statement of the purpose of the question; and 

(5) the voting choices that the voter has. 

(c)  Duty to prepare question.-  

(1) The Secretary of State shall prepare and certify to the State Board, not later than the third Monday in August, the information required under subsection (b) of this section, for all statewide ballot questions and all questions relating to an enactment of the General Assembly which is petitioned to referendum. 

(2) The State Board shall prepare and certify to the appropriate local board, not later than the second Monday in August, the information required under subsection (b) of this section for all questions that have been referred to the voters of one county or part of one county pursuant to an enactment of the General Assembly. 

(3) (i) The county attorney of the appropriate county shall prepare and certify to the appropriate local board, not later than the third Monday in August, the information required under subsection (b) of this section for each question to be voted on in a single county or part of a county, except a question covered by paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of this subsection. 

(ii) If the information required under subsection (b) of this section has not been timely certified under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the clerk of the circuit court for the jurisdiction shall prepare and certify that information to the local board not later than the fourth Monday in August. 

(iii) A local board shall provide a copy of each certified question to the State Board within 48 hours after receipt of the certification from the certifying authority. 

(d)  Numbering or lettering.-  

(1) Each statewide question and each question relating to an enactment of the General Assembly which is petitioned to referendum shall be assigned a numerical identifier in the following order: 

(i) by years of sessions of the General Assembly at which enacted; and 

(ii) for each such session, by chapter numbers of the Session Laws of that session. 

(2) A question that has been referred to the voters of one county or part of one county pursuant to an enactment of the General Assembly shall be assigned an alphabetical identifier in an order established by the State Board. 

(3) Questions certified under subsection (c)(3)(i) or (ii) of this section shall be assigned an alphabetical identifier in an order established by the certifying authority, consistent with and following the questions certified by the State Board. 
 

[An. Code 1957, art. 33, § 7-103; 2002, ch. 291, §§ 2, 4; 2006, ch. 120.]