Annapolis, MD—A November 21 press release issued by the Maryland Democratic Party on its upcoming officer elections erroneously stated that in order to satisfy the gender balance rules of the party, two of the three open vice-chair positions must be filled by male candidates. Party parliamentarian Greg Pecoraro issued the following statement correcting the error:
“A prior press release from the party incorrectly stated that if a woman is elected Chair, then two of the three Vice-Chair positions on the party’s Executive Committee must be filled by male candidates to satisfy the party’s gender balance rules. While that has often been the case in past party officer elections, the party’s by-laws state that if a woman is elected chair, a male candidate must be elected 1stVice-Chair of the party, and the 2nd and 3rd Vice-Chair positions may be filled by 2 female candidates, or one male and one female. I’ve been active in Maryland Democratic politics for nearly 40 years and I am excited to see so many candidates running for party leadership. This unprecedented interest from Democrats across Maryland demonstrates the importance of the party and a recognition of it’s critical role in building on our successes in the 2018 election to move Maryland forward.”