ANNAPOLIS, MD: In a recent poll by Opinion Works LLC, 76% of Maryland voters said they favor protecting the right to a healthful environment, and even more importantly, the majority would vote for the proposed amendment if the election happened today.
The majority of Maryland voters favor the proposed Environmental Human Rights Amendment [EHRA] across key demographics, including party, race, age, household income, household size, and geographic region in Maryland. Eighty-five percent (85%) of Democrats, 59% of Republicans, and 72% of Independents favor the proposed Environmental Human Rights Amendment. Voters under the age of 35 (82%), African-American/Blacks (81%), those with households of 3 more (80%), Baltimore City (81%), and Western Maryland (82%) show statistically higher levels of support.
If the election occurred today, sixty-nine percent (69%) of Maryland voters would vote for the proposed amendment, and the majority of voters by party, age, race, household income, household size and geographic region would vote to approve the proposed amendment.
This poll also revealed that having the proposed Environmental Human Rights Amendment [EHRA] on the ballot would encourage 52% of Maryland voters to go vote. This is especially true for voters under the age of 65: under 35 (62%), 35-49 (57%), and 50-64 (49%) and for voters in: Baltimore City (61%), Anne Arundel (55%), Greater Baltimore (52%), Prince George’s (54%), Greater Washington (52%), and the Eastern Shore (59%). 
This proposed amendment would add two provisions in the Declaration of Rights section of the Maryland State Constitution: (a) that each person has the fundamental and inalienable right to a healthful and sustainable environment, and said right shall not be infringed, and (b) that the State, as trustee, shall protect, conserve, and enhance Maryland’s natural resources, including its air, lands, waters, wildlife, and ecosystems for the benefit of present and future generations.
“These poll results demonstrate that the majority of Maryland voters do support protecting the right to a healthful and sustainable environment in our state constitution. Now it is up to my fellow legislators in the Maryland General Assembly to prioritize and pass the proposed amendment in 2022 and put it on the ballot for Maryland voters to approve,” said Delegate Wanika Fisher, House Sponsor for the Environmental Human Rights Amendment.
“Nothing we do this session and nothing we do in our committees matter if we don’t ensure that we have a healthy environment for our children and our grandchildren,” said Chairman Senator Will Smith, Senate Sponsor for the Environmental Human Rights amendment. “We must secure those rights with a constitution amendment. Studies show that without instituting significant protections, between 2027 and 2042 we will face seismic, dangerous and irreversible, shifts in the earth’s operating systems.”
Take Action Now
Our leaders in the House and Senate, Delegate Fisher and Chairman Senator Will Smith, need our voices standing with them. Take action now.
- Sign and share the Amendment petition, which asks the leadership of the Maryland General Assembly to prioritze and pass the Environmental Human Rights Amendment in 2022
- Write your state legislator and ask them to protect each person’s right to a healthful and sustainable environment in our state constitution, for the benefit of current and future generations.
About the survey: Opinion Works LLC surveyed 1,027 Maryland registered voters December 15, 2021-January 10, 2022. The poll is weighted to represent Maryland registered voters and has a statistical confidence interval of +/- 3%.
About MDEHR: The Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights (MDEHR) advocates for amending the Declaration of Rights section of our Maryland State Constitution to include each person’s right to a healthful and sustainable environment. For more information, visit www.mdehr.org.
