Questions 6 and 7 narrowly approved, others pass easily

A “Dream” became reality as Marylanders went to the  polls on Tuesday.
    The “Dream Act,” which would let illegal immigrants attend Maryland state colleges at the in-state tuition rate under certain  conditions, passed by a large margin.
    Question 4 had 58.3 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with 1,388,857 favorable votes, with 993,993 votes against, according to the Maryland Board of  Elections.
    Another controversial referendum question, the Civil Marriage Protection Act, Question 6, would allow same-sex couples to legally marry in Maryland. The act had a 1,252,568 (51.9  percent) to 1,158,719 (48.1 percent) vote lead as of early Wednesday morning.
    The Dream Act was passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2011 legislative session, while the Civil marriage  Protection Act passed the legislature in 2012.
    Opponents of the bills mounted successful  drives to put each on the state ballot.
    Question 7, which will expand gambling in Maryland by adding table games to existing casinos while approving an additional casino in Prince George’s County, had 1,266,673 (52 percent) votes in  favor with 1,170,665 (48) opposed.
    Voters also didn’t seem to have a problem with the new congressional districts which critics described as gerrymandered.
    Voting on Question 5, Marylanders approved the map by a vote of 1,418,687 (63.5 percent) to 814,343 (36.5).
   

In the national race, President Barack Obama was  declared the winner as of late Tuesday night, with 303 electoral votes to Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s 206 as of Wednesday morning – well in excess of the 270 needed  for election.
    Obama carried Maryland with 1,523,788 (61.4 percent) votes to 904,488 (36.5) for Romney.
    Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (2nd District) easily won a sixth term, defeating challenger Nancy Jacobs 181,272 (65.4 percent) to 85,856 (31.3).
    Sen. Ben Cardin weathered a challenge from two rivals with 55.2 percent of the  vote, receiving 1,332,380 votes to Republican Daniel Bongino’s 642,192 (26.6) and Independent Rob  Sobhani’s 409,175 (16.9).
    In other statewide ballot questions, voters approved a Maryland constitutional amendment requiring Orphan’s Court judges in Baltimore and Prince George’s counties to be admitted to practice law in the state and be a member in good standing of the state Bar.
    Voters approved a constitutional  amendment that will suspend from office an elected official found guilty of a crime and remove the official from office when the conviction becomes final. The amendment passed by 2,046,826 votes (88 percent) to 279,325 (12).
    All vote counts are unofficial.