The 2024 election cycle in Maryland, encompassing both the primary and general elections, revealed critical challenges and insights from poll workers and election watchers. The report, “Secure the Vote MD,” compiles feedback on the electoral process, emphasizing the need for improvements to ensure secure and transparent elections.
Top Issues Identified
- Excessive Provisional Voting: The widespread use of provisional ballots caused significant confusion among voters, attributed to problems with election mail procedures.
- Faulty Voter Roll Data: Incorrect voter roll information led to election mail issues, such as ballots being sent to incorrect addresses, duplicate ballots, or to individuals not residing in Maryland.
- Unauthorized Ballot Mailing: Instances of ballots being mailed without voter request added to voter confusion and security concerns.
- Vote Flipping: Malfunctions in ballot marking devices (BMDs) were reported, leading to allegations of vote flipping.
- Ballot Errors: Voters received incorrect ballots during both the primary and general elections.
- Voter Manipulation and Fraud: Reports included unfolded ballots arriving in sealed boxes, unsealed voting machines, and out-of-state individuals casting votes.
- Ineligible Voters on Rolls: Election officials reportedly refused to remove ineligible voters from rolls, including individuals registered at addresses where they had never lived.
- Broken Chain of Custody: Election judges transported materials to central processing locations without oversight, jeopardizing the chain of custody.
- Mistreatment of Poll Watchers: Poll watchers were placed out of earshot and eyesight, limiting their ability to monitor proceedings effectively.
- Poor Training of Election Judges: Inadequate training resulted in errors such as improper handling of spoiled ballots, incorrect check-in procedures, and distribution of wrong ballots. In some instances, poll watchers intervened to correct these mistakes.
Key Takeaways
The report underscores several critical areas for improvement:
- Recruitment and Training: Effective recruitment and comprehensive training of poll watchers and election judges are vital. Secure the Vote MD successfully trained over 1,000 individuals, deploying 500 into the field, and receiving 33 detailed reports from these efforts.
- Election Mail and Voter Rolls: Ensuring accurate voter rolls is essential to avoid issues with election mail and safeguard the electoral process.
- Parity and Oversight: Achieving parity and transparency in election administration is a recurring challenge, with significant resistance from boards of elections. For example, certificates for poll watchers should include the printed name of the signee above their signature for accountability.
Poll Watching Debrief
Poll watchers emphasized three overarching principles for secure elections:
- Decentralization and Technology Minimization: Secure elections require maximum decentralization and minimal reliance on technology.
- Transparency Issues: The use of machines often impedes a fully observable election process.
- Voter Roll Security: Voter rolls are fundamental to election integrity, akin to locks on a home. The security of elections should not depend on external conditions but on robust internal safeguards.
Election Judge and Poll Watcher Recruitment Statistics
Secure the Vote MD reported significant progress in recruitment:
- Over 1,000 individuals trained.
- 500 deployed during the election.
- Detailed feedback provided through 33 field reports.
The Maryland State Board of Elections achieved 101% of required positions, recruiting 37,556 election judges statewide, as noted in the December 2024 administrative report.
Recommendations for Future Elections
To enhance electoral integrity and public trust, the following steps are recommended:
- Increase focus on accurate voter rolls to address election mail issues and prevent fraud.
- Strengthen training programs for election judges and poll watchers to mitigate errors.
- Enhance transparency and oversight to allow poll watchers unobstructed monitoring access.
- Implement stricter chain-of-custody protocols for election materials.
By addressing these issues and reinforcing the principles outlined, Maryland can strengthen the foundation of its electoral process and ensure fair and transparent elections in the future.