Sample ballot - Part II (#241, Topic P)

In the Official Specimen Ballot I received yesterday (#240), there is a question on constitutional amendment (the seconf of four), which occupies one-half page of a 7-page ballot. The question's heading is Circuit Court in Banc Decisions; its subheading is "Allows appeals to the Court of Special Appeals froma decision by an in banc circuit court." After a parenthetical comment that the purpose of this is "(Amending Article IV-Judiary Department)", the body of this question reads as follows: "This constitutional amendment establishes the right of a party who did not request in banc review by the circuit court to appeal an adverse decision by the in banc court to the State's intermediate appellate court, the Court of Special Appeals. The amendment provides that a party in a circuit court trial conducted by less than three circuit judges is eligible for in banc review. The amendment establishes that three judges of a circuit court constitute a circuit court in banc. The amendment repeals the authority of the circuit courts to regulate the rules governing in banc circuit appeals, and establishes that the Maryland Rules are to provide the procedure for such appeals. The amendment also eliminates obsolete language pertaining to writs or error from this provision of the Constitution." Following this 131-word explanation, there are two lines, one is "For the Constitutional Amendment" and the other is "Against the Constitutional Amendment." Realizing that, among voters there must be slow ones who may still be in the dark after reading this 131-word explanation (not counting the heading, subheading, and parenthetical comment) -- and I must admit that I am one of them -- the specimen ballot adds, thoughtfully, a page-long Summary of this proposed constitutional amendment (which, at least to me, is equally tense). Were I to read this amendment while standing in a voting booth -- which might take at least 10 minutes -- those people waiting in the line to vote might have a long wait. Let's see how this works out next Tuesday.