Voting in 2024
Your Vote Counts, are you ready?
Family, as we approach the upcoming election, we as believers need to engage thoughtfully and prayerfully in the voting process. In our commitment to being informed citizens and faithful stewards of our community, we present the proof questions regarding the issues that will be on the ballot. These questions are designed to help you reflect on the matters at hand, discern your position, and prepare to cast your vote with confidence. Your vote is not just a right; it is a responsibility that can impact our community and reflect our values as followers of Christ. We encourage you to take the time to review the provided questions, engage in discussions with fellow congregants, and seek God's guidance as you prepare to make your voice heard.
Let us come together in prayer for wisdom and clarity as we navigate these important decisions. Remember, every vote counts, and together we can make a difference in our beloved city. Thank you for being an active part of our congregation and for your commitment to being informed voters.
Preparation for the General Election
For the below, do you agree with the issue, the amendment, or the person? If so, vote yes when you cast your vote.
Bond Issue: Affordable Housing Loan
Question A is for the purpose of authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to $20,000,000 to be used for the planning, developing, executing, and making operative the Affordable Housing Program of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, including, but not limited to, the acquisition, by purchase, lease, condemnation or any other legal means, of land or property in the City of Baltimore; the payment of any and all costs and expenses incurred in connection with or incidental to the acquisition and management of the land or property; the payment of any and all costs and expenses incurred for or in connection with relocating and removing persons or other legal entities displaced by the acquisition of the land or property, and the disposition of land and property for such purposes, such costs to include but not limited to rental payment and home purchase assistance, housing counseling and buyer education, assistance, and activities to support the orderly and sustainable planning, preservation, rehabilitation, and development of economically diverse housing in City neighborhoods; support the Affordable Housing Trust Fund; support the elimination of unhealthful, unsanitary or unsafe conditions, lessening density, eliminating obsolete or other uses detrimental to the public welfare or otherwise removing or preventing the spread of blight or deterioration in the City of Baltimore; and for doing all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.
Bond Issue: School Loan
Question B is for the purpose of authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to $55,000,000 to be used for the acquisition of land or property to construct and erect new school buildings, athletic and auxiliary facilities; and for additions and improvements to or modernization, demolition or reconstruction of existing school buildings or facilities; and to equip all buildings to be constructed, erected, improved, modernized, or reconstructed; and for doing any and all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.
Bond Issue: Community and Economic Development Loan
Question C is for the purpose of authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to $50,000,000 to be used for, or in connection with, planning, developing, executing and making operative the community, commercial, and industrial economic development programs of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore; the development or redevelopment, including, but not limited to, the comprehensive renovation or rehabilitation of any land or property, or any rights or interests therein hereinbefore mentioned, in the City of Baltimore, and the disposition of land and property for such purposes; the elimination of unhealthful, unsanitary, or unsafe conditions, lessening density, eliminating obsolete or other uses detrimental to the public welfare or otherwise removing or preventing the spread of blight or deterioration in the City of Baltimore; the creation of healthy, sanitary, and safe, and green conditions in the City of Baltimore; and authorizing loans and grants therefore; making loans and grants to various projects and programs related to growing businesses in the City; attracting and retaining jobs; providing homeownership incentives and home repair assistance; authorizing loans and grants to various projects and programs related to improving cultural life and promotion of tourism in Baltimore City and the lending or granting of funds to any person or other legal entity to be used for or in connection with the rehabilitation, renovation, redevelopment, improvement or construction of buildings and structures to be used or occupied for residential or commercial purposes; and for doing any and all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.
Bond Issue: Public Infrastructure
Question D is for the purpose of authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to borrow up to $125,000,000 to be used for the development of public infrastructure owned or controlled by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and the Enoch Pratt Free Library and for the construction and development of streets, bridges, courthouses, City buildings and facilities and related land, property, buildings, structures or facilities, for acquisition and development of property buildings owned and controlled by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and the Enoch Pratt Library and public park or recreation land, property, buildings, structures or facilities including the acquisition of such by purchase, lease, condemnation or other legal means; for the construction, erection, renovation, alteration, reconstruction, installation, improvement and repair of existing or new buildings, structures, or facilities to be or now being used by or in connection with the operations, function and activities of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, public parks and recreational programs; for the construction and development of streets, bridges, courthouses, city office buildings, police stations, fire stations, solid waste facilities, information technology, and public park and recreational and related property and buildings; for the acquisition and installation of trees, for tree planting programs and for the equipping of any and all existing and new buildings, structures, and facilities authorized to be constructed, renovated, altered or improved by this Ordinance; and for doing any and all things necessary, proper or expedient in connection therewith.
Charter Amendment: Baltimore City Police Department
Question E is for the purpose of establishing the Baltimore City Police Department as an agency of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore. The Police Commissioner is established as the head of the Department and is appointed by the Mayor subject to confirmation under Art. IV, Sec. 6 (a) of the Charter. The Commissioner's powers are enumerated and include determining and establishing the form and organization of the Department, assigning staff and resources, instituting systems for evaluations of members and setting policy with respect to the general operations of the Department.
The purpose and powers of the Department are also determined. The Department shall have the duty to preserve the peace, detect and prevent crime, enforce the laws of the State and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore as well as apprehend and arrest individuals who violate or are lawfully accused of violating the law. The Department will preserve the order at public places but must discharge its duties and responsibilities with dignity and in a manner that will inspire public confidence and respect.
The duties of police officers are also established and the procedure for the creation of police districts is established.
Charter Amendment: Inner Harbor Park
Question F is for the purpose of amending the provision dedicating for public park uses the portion of the city that lies along the Northwest and South Shores of the Inner Harbor, south of Pratt Street to the water's edge, east of Light Street to the water's edge, and north of the highway to the water's edge, from the World Trade Center around the shoreline of the Inner Harbor including Rash Field with a maximum of 4.5 acres north of an easterly extension of the south side of Conway Street plus access thereto to be used for eating places, commercial uses, multifamily residential development and off-street parking with the areas used for multifamily dwellings and off-street parking as excluded from the area dedicated as a public park or for public benefit.
Charter Amendment: Community Reinvestment and Reparations Fund
Question G is for the purpose establishing a continuing, non-lapsing Community Reinvestment and Reparations Fund, to be used exclusively to support the work of the Community Reinvestment and Reparations Commission to the extent that the work of the commission is within the scope of the use limitations in§ 1-322 {"Community Reinvestment and Repair"} of the State Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Article. The Mayor and City Council are authorized, by ordinance, to provide for the oversight, governance, and administration of the Fund.
Charter Amendment (via Local Petition): Reducing the Size of the City Council
Question H is for the for the purpose of amending Art. Ill, Sections 2 and 7 of the Charter to reduce the number of Baltimore City Council districts from 14 to 8. If the number of City Council districts is modified by an approved Charter amendment, the Mayor shall prepare a plan for Council redistricting based on the most recent census. The Mayor shall present the plan to the City Council not later than the first day of February of the first municipal election year following the approval of the Charter amendment.
Constitutional Amendment: (Ch. 245 of the 2023 Legislative Session)
Question 1: Declaration of Rights - Right to Reproductive Freedom
The proposed amendment confirms an individual's fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end the individual's pregnancy, and provides the State may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge, the right unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means.
(Adding Article 48 to the Maryland Declaration of Rights)
“Voting is the foundation stone of political action.”
Voting for our Judicial Branch: (Click on name for more information)
Vote yes or no for Continuance in Office
Justice, Supreme Court of Maryland (Circuit 6): Shirley M. Watts
Justice, Supreme Court of Maryland (Circuit 6): Michael W. Reed
Judge, Appellate Court of Maryland (At Large): Anne K. Albright
Judge, Appellate Court of Maryland (At Large): Kevin F. Arthur
Judge, Appellate Court of Maryland (At Large): Andrea M. Leahy