Critics contend the message of a political mailer is that if you don't vote for Anthony Brown, Jim Crow laws will make a comeback. Not so, says the Maryland Democratic Party, who says it's a reminder of the hard-fought battle to vote and designed to energize the Democratic base.

Advertisement Political flier stirs race-based controversy Flyer depicts Civil Rights Movement, makes comparisons Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Democrats across the state recently got something in the mail that many people consider startling. It’s a flier that uses historic images of the civil rights struggle.Mobile users tap here to watch videoSome believe the flier is intended to make the point that unless you vote for Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, you risk going back to the days of segregation.Mailer critics contend the message is: If you don't vote for Anthony Brown, Jim Crow laws will make a comeback.Not so, says the Maryland Democratic Party. They said it's a reminder of the hard-fought battle to vote and designed to energize the Democratic base."Lt. governor, if elected you would become the first African-American governor in this state’s history. Does race matter in this race?” WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Deb Weiner asked during a recent debate.The short answer given by both candidates is no.But some voters contend that the Maryland Democratic Party is now playing the race card. The mailer landed in the mailboxes of hundreds of thousands of Democrats across the state.It's filled with historic images of the Civil Rights Movement with the caption: It's our turn. They've placed road blocks in our path at every turn and history is watching to see if we vote."My sense is it wasn't directed at race," said professor Michael Higginbotham, with the University of Baltimore Law School.Higginbotham is a law professor and author of a critically-acclaimed book "Ghosts of Jim Crow." He believes the mailer serves three purposes."One is to analogize current voter ID restrictions with what happened with Jim Crow in the 1950s with restrictions on voters. Two, I think it is to remind voters of the close relationship between the Democratic Party, and the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King. And I think third, it is to note the historical significance of Anthony Brown’s campaign," Higginbotham said.Brown said the mailer is a reminder that voting is a hard-fought privilege and responsibility."A responsibility born on the shoulders of so many who worked so hard to ensure all Americans have this right," Brown said.The mailer also includes photos depicting signs of current times."There is real concern about the support of voter ID laws, really restrictive voter ID laws and early voting practices," Higginbotham said.Race came up during the Democratic primary. Attorney general and then-candidate for governor Doug Gansler told a group of volunteers his take on the issue."I mean right now, his campaign slogan is, 'Vote for me. I want to be the first African-American governor of Maryland,'" Brown said.The Brown campaign pounced on the comment, demanding an apology, but the campaign views the flier differently."It really reminds voters that over the course of this country's history, men and women of different race, and nationalities and ethnicity have come together to enlarge the vote to make sure more Americans have unlimited, unfettered access to the ballot," Brown said.There is also concern about the flier's use of the words "we" and "they." State Democrats said the word "we" represents everyone who fought to enhance the opportunity to vote and the word "they" refers to those who have worked against allowing greater access to the polls.