CHANGE MY LOCATION
Politics
Los Angeles Examiners
Los Angeles Political Satire Examiner
Most Recent Post
Obama vs. Hitler: The debate rages on...
Los Angeles Political Examiner
Most Recent Post
A California Election Day Prop. Cheat Sheet
Multimedia News
Group wants to smash voter apathy on public TV
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: WESTMINSTER, Md.
This year alone, only 411 of Westminster’s 10,000 registered voters cast ballots in May. The league said the problem lies in residents not knowing who their elected officials are and what town councils do.
“We want people to learn basic information without feeling stupid about it,” said Sandra Collin, a league member who plans to host the five-part series. “We want them to have some feeling of control again. A lot of times, I don’t know who to call for certain things or I’m not certain about what different offices do. Like the orphans’ court, I couldn’t tell you what it’s about.”
The orphans’ court processes estates and settles inheritance disputes.
The shows will feature officials in town, county and state government and be filmed for free through the Community Media Center in Westminster.
The league “feels very strongly about educating people on the basic services municipalities do and don’t do,” Community Media Center Executive Director Marion Ware said.
The group plans to shoot the first episode in August for a September airing.
“Maybe residents just need to meet these folks to figure out whether they want to pull the lever for them, because most don’t know what they do so they don’t bother voting,” league President Elaine Hanratty said.
Next month marks the league’s one-year anniversary of reforming in Carroll after falling dormant.
In its second year, the league hopes television will empower viewers to get involved in government.
Democracy, after all, “is not a spectator sport,” Collin said.
kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
8:29 PM MST on Fri., Sep. 26, 2008 re: "Civil rights groups ‘outraged’ by absentee voting problems"
Report as inappropriate
2:16 PM MST on Sun., Jul. 6, 2008
re: "Vote tallying could present another fiasco"
Report as inappropriate
11:55 AM MST on Wed., Jun. 6, 2007
re: "Virginia primaries open to all voters, regardless of party"
Report as inappropriate
2:07 PM MST on Fri., Apr. 20, 2007
re: "House passes District voting rights bill"
Report as inappropriate
ilsun said:
. DEAR SIR/MADAM I SUPPORT THE WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN AGAINST TORTURE AND ABUSE USING DIRECTED ENERGY AND NEUROLOGICAL WEAPONS I would like to draw your attention to some extreme and horrendous criminality being conducted with the involvement of United States Government-related Agencies and the complicity, if not participation, of many other governments and security agencies. I am a victim of torture and abuse using DIRECTED ENERGY and NEUROLOGICAL WEAPONS technology. The criminal use of these on me are causing the following effects - 1. Sleep deprivation 2. Reading thoughts remotely 3. Causing pain in any nerve of the body 4. Computer- brain interference, control and communication. There is massive ignorance and secrecy regarding this, and victims such as I are being subjected to uncontrolled and unacknowledged torture and mental and physical destruction. This has remained completely unreported and undiscussed publicly. There are many others, all over the world, who ar
1 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Jiminy Cricket said:
What a wicked we weave !!!- The Supes were warned not to buy these bogus systems - but except for Ammiano and Daly, they did it anyway .. The shame !! Now SF is the biggest fool as they too are in the HAVA trap - Bob Ney paved the way for the big $ vendors to skim the cream - billions of our tax dollars sent to the boys in the back. We must make a stand against the black hats and take back our democracy- He who counts the votes must not be allowed to skate away- JC
6 agree | 2 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Steve Rankin, Jackson, Mississippi said:
The Virginia Republicans' lawsuit against their open-primary law is now in the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. It's based largely on the US Supreme Court's 2000 ruling in the California case that you noted. The lower court held in the Virginia case that, when a party is forced to nominate by primary, the party decides who votes in that primary. This was the first time any court had ever said that there is a situation in which the state may not require a party to hold an open primary. The Mississippi Democrats' similar open-primary lawsuit will be heard by the US District Court on July 30. If the courts outlaw state-mandated open primaries-- as I believe they will-- each party will be free to determine who votes in its primaries. Utah, e.g., registers voters by party. The Republicans there invite independents to vote in their primaries, whereas the Democrats invite ALL voters into their primaries.
409 agree | 478 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Zeadman said:
mmmmmmmmmm interesting. i am a republican populist moderate. i think that most people in the us are now that. any way i believe that the district should be treated as any other district in any state in the Union. it is a district just like the first district of Utah. or Iowa or Idaho...... so yes it is good that they now have a vote even thow they have always had a vote because of what they are. they are a district out side of a state. thats is all they deserve a vote just like us. thanks -Zeadman
278 agree | 295 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree