favor of single-member districts, the vote
might be somewhat different with the
House expanded to 120.
To clarify this, each delegate would be
roughly 15 per cent smaller under the 120-
member house as opposed to the 105-mem-
ber house. If you can measure it this way,
this creates 15 per cent more parochialism
and more representation of individual
interests.
I suggest that this is an argument against
the Committee's report.
In closing, I would like to read a para-
graph from page 129 of the final report of
the Constitutional Convention Commission,
in its comment to Section 304, as recom-
mended, where it says:
"It might be desirable to establish a
separate district for each delegate, but this
has not proven to be feasible. However, it
might be practicable for the General As-
sembly to provide for single-member dis-
tricts in the future, and this possibility
should not be precluded."
I agree one hundred per cent with that
statement and submit that both the Ryb-
czynski and the Case-Lord amendments
would accomplish that possibility, and would
allow the General Assembly to divide the
state easily at some future date into single-
member districts.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in opposition to the
amendment?
Delegate Gallagher?
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: One last
word from me, Mr. Chairman.
Assuming a 40-member Senate, and a
120-member House for 1970, there would
be 100,000 persons in each senate district,
and 33,000 persons in each house district.
Assuming the same thing for 1980, a 40-
member Senate would have 117,000 persons
per senate district, and 39,000 persons per
delegate district.
I might point out that a 33,000 popula-
tion house district is roughly twice the size
of Kent County.
Now, in order to rally the forces to pre-
serve the Committee stand, may I suggest
that those who are in favor of single-mem-
ber senate districts and single-member
house districts vote no now and hereafter
until the Chairman of the Committee indi-
cates differently.
(Applause.) |
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in favor of the amendment
to the amendment?
Delegate Sherbow?
DELEGATE SHERBOW: Mr. Chair-
man. Members of the Committee of the
Whole. I favored originally the Lord-Case
proposal. Apparently the sponsor now
moves toward the Rybczynski proposal. I
am for that in preference to the single-
member district. Let me tell you why.
I may not be in the same position as my
good brother who sits on my left, Delegate
Sickles, because the last time I had prac-
tical experience in ward precinct and dis-
trict politics was more than 27 years ago.
However, statistics just given you by Dele-
gate Gallagher should speak volumes for
the kind of insulated, separate, parochial-
ism that will come in Baltimore City.
I do not presume to speak for any other
area. I just wish that you would allow us
to have our delegates run from districts
larger than 33,000. This is why; if 33,000
people are in one district, that is a small
district to us because we have concentrated
population. About two and a half to one is
the ratio of voters, so that is just about
14,000 voters who will be on the box in
that one single district.
This is one fact of life that may not
exist in Prince, George's County, Brother
Sickles, but it exists in Baltimore City.
The election is won in the primary and
in the primary fewer than 50 per cent in
Baltimore City go to the polls. I would
say at most 40 per cent, and in most elec-
tions 30 per cent. Make it the best figure
you want, of the 15,000 who are eligible to
vote, six or seven thousand of them do
vote. If you have a single-member district,
you are going to find five or six thousand
people are going to make the decision, and
when that one individual gets in from that
district, there he will be speaking on the
great problems of the state — air pollu-
tion, water pollution, economic development,
mass transportation, regional development.
Can you imagine it? Oh, no. His interest is
going to be staying elected from this one
little square box of his own in that small
district.
All I am asking you is that in Baltimore
City, you give us a broader base from
which to pick the men and the women who
will represent, not the small district, but
the entire state, with a viewpoint that is
statewide and not narrow. |
