The Sample Ballots Are Fraud — It is Time We Get Rid of of them

Dear Maryland Democrats,

As the new grassroots leaders of our party gather in Lanham today for the State Central Committee Meeting, many will begin or resume debating changes to the way we operate our primary. While our focus must and should be on getting Ben Jealous to Annapolis, this is an important debate we need to have. One issue that has caught a lot of attention lately is the use by some, mainly incumbents, of “Official Sample Ballots” that are not official at all.

Our party faces a significant challenge in this election cycle. There is a wide gap between who we are as a party and how our allies and constituents see us. We proclaim ourselves to be a “big tent party.” We’re the party of the 99%, the oppressed and marginalized, and the folks who have been left behind as a result of our racist and sexist national history. Yet, I have been hearing growing criticism that the Maryland Democratic Party isn’t open to hearing from new voices; that, unless you are part of the inner leadership circle, you will not be called on to lead, even if you have the experience, vision, and character to do so; that the party picks winners and losers; that young leaders are told to “wait your turn” and are either discouraged from running for office or have their campaigns undermined behind the scenes; and that, unless you have been with us all along, we don’t want you. I know that’s not who we are.

Make no mistake, we won’t win elections without the people who believe that.

So what is the disconnect? How do we reconcile who we know we are with how the rest of our community sees us? We have got to commit ourselves to transparency, openness, and inclusion in all that we do. We can’t settle for accepting practices that aren’t illegal, even if they are misleading. We must be beyond reproach, hold ourselves to a higher standard. There’s no one solution to the problem that potential Democrats are turned off by our party. It will take a concerted effort and lots of time and energy to change that narrative. But we can start here today.

Much has been said recently in Prince George’s and Montgomery County about the commonly used election practice of sending ‘Official Democratic Sample Ballots.” This practice hurts young candidates especially, candidates we work to directly support.

For those not familiar, these hand-picked ballots can be extremely misleading for individuals who are not steadily involved in the voting process and may be picking up election materials for the first time. In short they are and should be viewed as a method of voter fraud. They often promote the agendas of well-established politicians, making it harder for first-time candidates to reach their full potential. This cycle is the most important midterm election we will face, and will set the party on the path that we will walk for at least the next ten years. The last thing the Party needs is to send the message to our community that we support corrupt, deceptive campaign tactics that support the so-called “Annapolis machine,” hurt promising, rising leaders, and discourage voters from participating in state elections.

If we as Democrats want to change the face of our state legislature, county offices, and put a Democrat back into the Governor’s mansion, we must level the playing field and end sample ballot circulation in Maryland to ensure strong representation from young people in office. Today I am told we will take steps to do just that. Those steps must however be serious.

After speaking with Party Chair Kathleen Matthews last week, she has informed me of her intention to establish a Maryland version of the DNC’s Unity Commission that will also focus on diversity and inclusion. The Young Democrats of Maryland welcome this coming announcement, but also hope that it will practice what we hope it seeks to deliver. To support that effort we lay out some proposals that if enacted could ensure a process everyone can trust.

1. Potential members of the Commission should be allowed to apply to join and not have to be nominated by a local party chair.
2. Membership on the Commission, similar to the DNC version, should not be restricted solely to members of the State Central Committee, however allied groups should be invited to participate as well.
3. The public should be informed of the makeup of the membership and given clear ways to communicate with the group.
4. Meetings of the commission should be advertised publicly and take place in venues or formats that are convenient for public participation.
5. The membership should not just be geographically diverse, but also include young people, leaders from the more progressive wings and other voices not often heard.

Working together we can resolve these issues. The Young Democrats of Maryland are committed to this work, we hope others will be as well.