Election Board Headquarters Closed Early Due To Safety Concerns

BALTIMORE, MD — Safety concerns have led officials to close the Baltimore Board of Elections early on Monday, the eve of Maryland’s primary election, after protests were held in the vicinity of the board office over the weekend.

According to a tweet on the city board’s feed, the elections office – located in the 400 block of East Fayette Street, closed at 3 p.m. and a ballot drop-off box was locked at 1 p.m.. Officials announced in a tweet that ballot boxes will be unlocked at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Director Armstead Jones was concerned about his staff’s safety going in and out of the board office due to the protests. The office was only open to the public on a by-appointment basis due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“I can’t have my people jeopardized,” Jones said Monday, according to the Sun. “We’re right there at City Hall.”

Tuesday’s election will determine highly contested races for city offices, including mayor, City Council president and comptroller. Due to the pandemic, ballots were sent by mail. Jones said that as long as ballots are postmarked by Tuesday, they can be returned by mail, but can also be dropped off at 15 locations around the city. With the exception of the boxes located at the board office, all other boxes around the city are open 24 hours a day.

Jones told the newspaper that the election office will reopen at 6 a.m. on Tuesday and that the ballot boxes were not damaged or disturbed during protests on Saturday and Sunday. The Board of Elections office is located kitty-corner from City Hall, where many of the protests have been centered around. Jones said the staff does not have the ability to work remotely and that employees would not be working while the headquarters remain closed.

Protesting continued in Baltimore for a third straight day on Monday, rallying against the death of George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man, who was killed while in police custody on Memorial Day. Floyd’s death, which was captured on video and showed a Minneapolis Police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes, has sparked nationwide outrage and protests, many of which have turned violent and led to looting in downtown areas.

According to the Sun, the office closure will not impact the counting of votes, which began late in May. No counting was scheduled for Monday or Tuesday, the Sun reported, and Jones said that all ballots are being moved out of the downtown office as a precaution.

This article originally appeared on the Baltimore Patch