Prairie Public Broadcasting

Lawsuit seeks to change slots referendum wording ANNAPOLIS, MD (wesm) - (AP) Opponents of slot machines have filed a lawsuit arguing that ballot wording for Maryland's referendum on slot machine gambling should be changed because it misleads voters about how the state will spend revenues.

The plaintiffs are asking Anne Arundel County Court to prohibit state elections officials from certifying the ballot language and direct the secretary of state to revise the ballot question with language they claim would be neutral.

Under the slot machine proposal, about half of the money would go to education. Slot machine operators would get about 33 percent.

Another 7 percent would go to horse racing purses. But the ballot wording only mentions education funding, prompting cries from slots critics that the language puts approval in a more favorable light to voters. © Copyright 2012, wesm