State Board of Elections v. Snyder, et al.

Outcome: Ruling allowed 17 year olds to vote in primary

Description: Maryland law allows 17 year olds who will be 18 before the next general election to vote in a primary even if they are not yet 18 at the time of the primary. The Maryland Attorney General concluded that this law is unconstitutional and directed the State Board of Elections not to allow otherwise qualified voters to register to vote in the 2008 presidential primary. On behalf of the parent of a 17 year old voter, I brought suit against the Board of Elections, seeking to have such voters permitted to vote in the primary. At both the trial court and Court of Appeals, we were successful in winning decisions in favor of our position, and as a result, over 15,000 Maryland teenagers were eligible to vote in the 2008 presidential primary who otherwise would not have been able to do so.