A Long Path for Early Voting in Md.

March 31, 2006: Republicans in the Maryland Senate march out of the chamber when Democrats push to pass a stack of hotly contested bills, including early voting.

April 5, 2006: Maryland Republicans say the state's powerful Democratic caucus has conspired to sway the 2006 elections, crafting an early voting law that aims to drive up turnout in voter-rich Democratic precincts.

April 7, 2006: Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. vetoes the early voting measure, which names the polling places where voters could cast ballots up to a week before Election Day.

April 8, 2006: The Maryland House of Delegates votes 93 to 45 to override the governor's veto of a bill providing guidelines for early voting. The measure lists 21 addresses where polls must be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week leading up to Election Day. Voters from other precincts also can vote at those spots.

June 21, 2006: A Republican-led petition drive fails to block legislation allowing early voting in Maryland elections, coming up fewer than 140 signatures shy.

August 11, 2006: Circuit Court Judge Ronald Silkworth rules that early voting in Maryland is illegal because the state's constitution allows only one day of voting.

August 25, 2006: The Maryland Court of Appeals rejects the state's early voting law.