This is not the first time I’ve introduced a bill requiring early voting on Sunday – two days before Election Day.

The objection that killed my legislation – the voter registration books [pollbooks] for hundreds of precincts can’t be updated in the 36 hours between the closing of the polls on Sunday and reopening them on Tuesday.

Technology and perhaps politics may have changed.

This is what key witnesses said at today’s bill hearing.

A representative for the Maryland Association of Election Officials stated, “[As for] the number of days, we will do whatever the General Assembly wants.  Our concern is just that technical component of how the electronic pollbooks function between Election Day and early voting.  I would defer that technical component to the State Board of Elections, because we follow their procedures.”

The representative for the State Board responded, “I would say that, yes, if the days shift we would make sure that the voters were aware of this….I don’t know if there are any technical concerns that we need to address with the new pollbooks or not due to this legislation, but I can find out and check with you on that.”

Now it’s up to me to follow up with the key legislators.

I’ve already begun to do that.