Despite attempt to slow officials, Maryland election stays on track
Those who requested an electronic ballot for this year’s general election may find the email in their inbox as soon as this week, but election officials across the state had to clear an unexpected hurdle to get to this starting point for voters — records requests from the 2020 election.
“Local boards received (and forwarded to us) about 20-25 requests,” Nikki Charlson, deputy administrator for the State Board of Elections, wrote in an email. “We generally do not receive requests for this data.”
She said the requested data is accessible, but it took us some time to determine the best way to compile and provide the data. Wicomico County Election Director Dionne Church, who has received less than 10 of those requests and forwarded them to the state board, said the recent requests for 2020 information were out of the norm.
David Levine, elections integrity fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, called the requests part of a “coordinated campaign” across the country to divert attention from the upcoming election. Similar requests have been received in Pennsylvania and North Carolina among other states after Mike Lindell, CEO of a pillow-manufacturing company, held a summit last month, calling for the release of Cast Vote Records in an attempt to rehash the 2020 election.
IN COURT: Maryland governor candidate Dan Cox challenges ruling on counting mail ballots earlier
CAMPAIGNING: Seafood and politics on the menu at Crisfield's big Crab & Clam Bake: PHOTOS
Levine, a Maryland resident who served as the elections director in Ada County, Idaho, until 2019, compared the requests to a denial-of-service cyber attack designed to overwhelm a system. In Maryland, any effort to overwhelm local boards of elections through records requests has been largely unsuccessful.
“Fortunately, we have been able to refer the requests to the State Board of Elections, and they have handled them for us,” Barry Jackson, deputy election director in Maryland’s Washington County, wrote in an email. The Washington County board received about 10 requests for 2020 “Cast Vote Records” all within a few days.
“That’s 10 more than we’ve ever been asked to provide before,” said Jackson, “other than a candidate.”
More:Maryland ballot questions: What you need to know before voting
For local election officials like Church in Wicomico County, the work to prepare for November 2022 continues. She’s expecting the delivery of one of the state’s 281 ballot drop boxes outside of her board of elections office Friday. Mail-in ballots are beginning to be sent through Oct. 5.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8, and ballots can be placed in drop boxes up until 8 p.m. that evening. The advance deadline to register to vote is Oct. 18.
Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
More:From Ukraine to Maryland's Eastern Shore, this SU professor observes elections up close
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Maryland election 2022: Records requests designed to slow process
