PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release
Date: August 25, 2025
Contact: Secure the Vote Maryland | info@securethevotemd.com | www.securethevotemd.com
Baltimore, MD — On July 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a formal request under Section 20507(i) of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), seeking documentation from the Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE) to verify compliance with federal voter-roll maintenance requirements.
The DOJ’s request was straightforward: provide names of responsible officials, document list-maintenance procedures, explain discrepancies in official reports, and most importantly, deliver the data proving these processes work.
On July 30, 2025, the SBE responded — but fell short. Instead of direct answers, the SBE offered general descriptions without measurable results. Of the DOJ’s fifteen specific requests:
– Only 3 were fully answered
– 4 were partially addressed
– 8 were left unanswered or provided no data
Among the omissions:
– No identification of officials responsible for list maintenance since 2022
– No reconciliation of registration data discrepancies
– No explanation for over 1.5M confirmation notices with minimal removals
– No statistics on removals of non-citizens, felons, or adjudicated incompetents
– No counts of merged duplicate registrations
Process Without Proof
In multiple instances, the SBE explained its “practices” but offered no data to verify effectiveness. Secure the Vote Maryland’s June 2025 audit revealed serious problems: deceased voters, out-of-state movers, and duplicate registrations remain on the rolls — in some counties, registrations even exceed 100% of eligible residents.
Further, Maryland’s reliance on the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) raises concerns: fewer than half of U.S. states participate, and four of the top five states where Maryland voters migrate (VA, FL, NC, TX) do not. Without performance metrics or legislative verification, reliance on ERIC leaves glaring blind spots.
Why This Matters
Election integrity depends on both the accuracy of voter rolls and the public’s confidence in their management. Instead of embracing transparency, the SBE’s incomplete response risks eroding voter trust.
The Path Forward
Secure the Vote Maryland urges the SBE to:
1. Identify officials responsible and publish service timelines.
2. Provide hard data on removals, merges, and eligibility determinations.
3. Reconcile statistical discrepancies and explain anomalies.
4. Report outcomes of confirmation mailings.
5. Legislate clear, auditable procedures for verifying and removing duplicates.
Maryland voters deserve facts — not vague assurances. Transparency is the only path to restoring public confidence in our elections.
The Secure the Vote Maryland article entitled “From Opportunity to Omission: Maryland’s Incomplete Response to the DOJ” provides the data evidence compiled by our team (June 2025). This article serves as the foundation for today’s Press Release.
/2025/08/26/from-opportunity-to-omission-marylands-incomplete-response-to-the-doj/
For media inquiries or further information, please contact us at:
info@securethevotemd.com or 443-672-4549