Some hot topic discussions concerning the upcoming General Election has local officials speaking out.

Referendum question number 4, which will be on the voting ballot, is the Maryland In-State Tuition Law. Frederick County Delegate Kelly Schultz recently talked about it on WFMD's Morning News Express. She said she voted against this in Annapolis and worked very diligently to get petitions signed two years ago. "This bill does not deny anybody to get an education. That's not true. What we are trying to be able to provide to the taxpayers of this state is to know that the people who are taking advantage of, and benefiting from the tax decrease, and the tuition decrease at these community colleges are the ones that are contributing to the tax system, and they cannot come up and say that they actually can."

Another referendum question that citizens will have to decide on is number 6, the Same-Sex-Marriage Law. "I think this will be a very close vote," said Delegate Schultz. The Chairman of the Frederick Republican Central Committee, Steve Gottlieb, said he didn't like the idea of defining marriage. "I think that people can be in love. They can live together. They can have civil unions. The civil unions take care of that," said Gottlieb. But Tony Soltero, with the Frederick Democratic Central Committee supports the law. "I believe that gay couples should have the same rights that straight couples have," he said.

In Frederick County, citizens will decide on charter government, which would replace the county commissioners with a county council and an executive. The last time voters decided on charter was in 1991, and it was voted down. "I truly am in favor of this," said Delegate Schultz.

All in all, there are seven questions on the ballot for 2012. Politicians and analysts say this year's list includes three voter-petitioned statewide referendum questions. It's the first time it's been done in 20 years.