Grasmick is neutral on slots debate

Anti-slots group asks elections board to change question's wording

"If that passes, we really want some dedicated funding for education," state Schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick said Thursday during a telephone interview with The Gazette.

Earlier this week, Maryland Secretary of State John P. McDonough approved ballot language that will ask voters Nov. 4 whether to legalize slot machine gambling. He also approved the wording of a question on whether to permit early voting.

A group organized to oppose the gambling referendum, Marylanders United Stop Slots, has formally asked the state Board of Elections to reject the ballot question's wording as "unfair."

"Although a 20 year gambling lobbyist wrote the slots Constitutional amendment that you will vote on in November, we still have an opportunity to stop this language from being approved," Scott Arceneaux of Marylanders United to Stop Slots emailed supporters of his group.

McDonough once worked as a lawyer for Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington.

"The State Board must approve the ballot before it is printed — so there's still time to keep this outrageous, pro-slots language off of the ballot," Arceneaux's statement read.

The slots referendum, the second of the two questions on the ballot, states that the proposed amendment: "Authorizes the State to issue up to five video lottery licenses for the purpose of raising revenue for education of children in public schools, prekindergarten through grade 12, public school construction and improvements, and construction of capital projects at community colleges and higher education institutions."

The question says that the number of slots terminals is limited to 15,000 and that "only one license may be issues for each specified location in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Worcester and Allegany Counties and Baltimore City."

McDonough added what he called "one significant deviation" from the language approved by the legislature — by adding the words "Slot Machines" in parenthesis in the title of the question —although not in the question itself.

"Slot machines" is the more commonly used name for the devices referred to in the proposed amendment as "video lottery terminals," McDonough said.

"To my reading, it's a cheerleading document," said Aaron Meisner, chairman of Stop Slots Maryland. "It makes no mention of the word slot machine. It makes no mention of the word gambling. It makes no mention of the fact that over 40 percent of the revenues will go towards the gambling industry."

Although Grasmick is remaining neutral, the Maryland State Teachers Association has been an early supporter of the slots referendum. MSTA President Clara Floyd said she was pleased that the language reflected what the General Assembly passed.

"Now we can move forward and allow the citizens of this state to cast their vote," Floyd said in a statement on Monday. "Between now and November 4, MSTA will be continuing to inform and update its 70,000 members about why passage of this referendum is so important to students and public schools."

The early voting question will read: "Authorizes the General Assembly to enact legislation to allow qualified voters to vote at polling places inside or outside of their election districts or wards and to vote up to two weeks before an election." It also allows the legislature to pass a law allowing voting by absentee ballot.

Staff Writer Marcus Moore contributed to this story.

For the complete referendum language go to:

www.elections.state.md.us/.