The council discussed a motion by Councilmember Dave Stepp to send a formal letter to the county’s Elections Board and Director, reminding them to adhere to state laws 10-201 and 10-202, which outline the need for balance between partisan election judges.
The issue stems from some citizens’ concerns about an imbalance in the number of Democrat and Republican judges at polling stations. According to the data presented, Talbot County currently has 123 election judges: 62 Democrats, 50 Republicans, and 11 unaffiliated judges. The law requires that partisan election judges from both major political parties be balanced to ensure a fair process.
Council members expressed differing opinions on how to address the issue. Stepp and Council President Chuck Callahan felt it was important to act quickly by sending the letter to ensure compliance before the upcoming election. Others argued that more information and investigation were needed before taking such action, with one council member noting that they had not seen any direct constituent complaints.
Ultimately, the motion to send the letter failed after a substitute motion to table the issue for further discussion. Concerns remain about the transparency of the process, and council members underscored the importance of ensuring that election laws are followed to protect the integrity of the electoral process in Talbot County.
This video is approximately 15 minutes in length.
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The solution is to get more Republicans to volunteer to serve as Election Judges.
Dick….. We have over 30 Republicans who have applied. They are being denied via email and we have the emails since March, before the primary. We have the evidence. And I’ve been to all the meetings. This is purposeful. Additionally they have two out-of-county judges they are refusing to remove. Come to the meetings and educate yourself.
From: Talbot Elections -SBE-
Date: August 29, 2024 at 12:37:02 PM EDT
To:
Subject: Election Judge Interest
Dear xxxxx
We appreciate your interest in serving as an Election Judge. At this time there are no anticipated vacancies. However, we will hold your information in case an unanticipated vacancy for the 2024 Presidential General Election and/or future elections occurs.
Should a vacancy occur, we will contact you via email. If, at that time, you are still interested and available, we will provide you with the required paperwork to complete and training information.
Again, thank you for contacting us about your willingness to serve!
Regards,
Donna Kegley-Hacker
Election Program Manager II
Wow less then 30 days till voting starts and you now want to compose a letter to address concerns ? Your lack of attention to this matter until now says it all.
This was talked about several months ago and 2 Rebulicans said they called and never heard back from the election board. Not surprised at anything when it comes to the election board. Last spring on the same day my husband received two pieces of mail from them the same day. One was his new change of address ( lived in the same house for 37 years). The second one was his new card which stated that he registered to vote in 2002. They were off ny 30 years. I called the lady in charge never called back. I called again she made all kinds of excuses like did we just move to the area on and on verbal garbage. When I told her about the 2002 she said she would check into it and get back to me she never did. When I called again was told there was a glitch in the system. About a month later he got another charge of address, I called and have never received a call back. I ESPECIALLY LIKE GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM!
I am wondering if Messrs. Callahan or Stepp asked the Council’s legal counsel to check with the State’s Attorney General to interpret our election laws — and ensure the Elections Board and Director are adhering to them. Seems to me that should have been their first step rather than automatically casting doubt on the process a little over a month before a major election.
Clara Kelly
I attended that Board of Elections meeting as well and I can vouch for Mr. Stepp and Mr. Callahan’s concern. It’s appalling that only one Board member brought it to the attention of the Board and the Executive Director. In fact one board member said they were not willing to change anything this close to the election. The votes on the motion were 3 Nays and one voted Present.
It does not matter which party affiliation you are. They are willfully breaking the law.
I’m sure there haven’t been any constituent complaints because the information about election judge numbers is not publicized Let me be the first to complain. I find it very difficult to understand why any of our Talbot County Council would condone breaking Maryland State Election law. Thank you Mr. Callahan and Mr Stepp for making this information public.
“I attended that Board of Elections meeting as well and I can vouch for Mr. Stepp and Mr. Callahan’s concern. It’s appalling that only one Board member brought it to the attention of the Board and the Executive Director. In fact one board member said they were not willing to change anything this close to the election. The votes on the motion were 3 Nays and one voted Present.
It does not matter which party affiliation you are. They are willfully breaking the law.”
The law states:
(b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, each polling place shall have an equal number of election judges from:
(i) the majority party; and
(ii) the principal minority party.
The data listed is for the total number of judges. If each polling place requires 4 judges, (2 from each party), there is no reason to believe they won’t be in compliance. There are 10 polling places, which would require 20 judges from each party. Obviously there are enough – perhaps that’s the simple reason why people are being denied for this cycle?