Talbot County Sheriff Joseph Gamble (R) said he’s heard from roughly two dozen county residents concerned about a lack of Republican election judges in the county. The sheriff sent a letter to local election officials this week calling on them to abide by state law. State elections officials said state laws are being followed. Photo by Bryan P. Sears.
The Talbot County Sheriff has waded into a dispute over election judges in the county, writing county election officials to remind them that his office provides election security and “strongly” urging them “to comply with Maryland law.”
The letter, which some interpreted as a veiled threat, drew a swift and sharp rebuke from Maryland’s top election official. State Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis said that Talbot County election officials are in compliance with state election law, and noted that Sheriff Joseph Gamble (R) does not have the authority to provide security for polling places or enforce election law.
“Marylanders can feel safe, secure and confident that their ballot will be counted and determinative for the election,” DeMarinis wrote in a statement responding to questions from Maryland Matters. “As the trusted source of information for the electoral process, Marylanders should be confident in our compliance with the law and the conduct of the election.”
In an interview Wednesday, Gamble seemed surprised that his letter could be construed as a threat. He said he was merely passing on concerns from voters that there was an imbalance of election judges based on party affiliation.
“How could anybody up there construe that to be a threat?” Gamble said. “When I say this is the law, you’re not in compliance with the law, I’m encouraging you to be in compliance. Is that a threat? I mean, if you’re doing something illegal, and I say … you need to stop breaking the law, is that a threat?”
Talbot County Election Director Tammy Stafford did not return a call from a reporter seeking comment.
The letter cited concerns about the fact that local election officials report having 62 Democratic election judges and 50 Republicans to work polling places in the upcoming election. Gamble said he received nearly two dozen complaints about “uneven representation” and called it a “violation of Maryland election law.”
The letter does not note that the county has lined up another 11 election judges who are not affiliated with either party — who can be used under state law to counter an imbalance in partisan makeup of other judges.
Maryland Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis. Photo by Bryan P. Sears.
Maryland law calls for two election judges — one each from the principal minority and majority parties in the state — for a precinct of less than 200 voters.
But finding enough election judges is frequently a challenge. Baltimore City, Baltimore, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties have historically had trouble finding Republicans to work the polls. In many rural jurisdictions, finding Democrats to work as judges has been a challenge.
The pandemic and age — poll judges have tended to be of retirement age — have exacerbated the problem. In response, the General Assembly voted to make it easier to fill those spots.
In larger precincts where six or more judges are needed, those positions can be filled with registered Democratic or Republican voters as well as unaffiliated voters. Minors 16 and older can also serve as election judges.
“The reason for the expansion of election judge recruitment was simple. We need individuals to serve,” DeMarinis said in his statement.
Gamble said he does not think there is anything “nefarious going on,” but that the people he is hearing from are frustrated.
“It creates, in people’s mind — why aren’t they following the law? Is there some nefarious going on? I don’t think there is,” Gamble said. “I just think they might not have a certain number of applications by a certain date on the Republican side, and they just trained what they trained, and they moved on.
“I just think they’re being lazy,” he said. “I mean, it’s government.”
But DeMarinis said judges are appointed nearly three months before the primary election. Training is “an ongoing process,” he said, adding that local election directors “must balance operational needs with the realities of managing an enormous, temporary workforce when assigning election judges to positions and locations.”
The issue first came up during a Talbot County Council meeting last week when Councilman Dave Stepp said that leaders of the county’s Republican Party tried to find additional judges, but their applications were being held until 2026. During that meeting, Stepp asked the council to send a letter to Stafford, asking that the elections board “follow the law,” but his motion was rejected.
Voters decide the outcomes of elections. The party affiliation of an election judge does not stop them from casting their ballots or disenfranchise a voter. And to say otherwise is disingenuous.
– State Election Administrator Jared DeMarinis
Gamble said he got involved in the issue after being contacted by residents of the county about the imbalance. In his letter to Stafford, Gamble noted that deputies from his office “will be conducting security checks of polling places and escorting ballots to your office to ensure we have a safe and fair election.”
“I strongly urge you to comply with Maryland law,” Gamble wrote. “Talbot County citizens and election workers need to feel safe and secure that the law is being followed. Anything short of compliance can lead to frustration from those who feel disenfranchised. this could easily be mitigated to prevent any possible security and safety related issues.”
“I have a duty to protect the rights of all Talbot County residents,” Gamble wrote, asking county election officials about their intention to “correct the current representation in election judges” and a timeframe for that.
In an interview, Gamble described the security checks as drive-by patrols. Escorts are typical, he said, as election judges transport ballots to elections headquarters. Both he said are standard and have been done in the past.
But some of Gamble’s language drew a rebuke from DeMarinis.
“The sheriff’s office does not have any legal authority to conduct security checks or a role in securing the ballots in a polling place,” DeMarinis wrote. “Nor does the sheriff enforce the requirements of the Election Law Article. The legal authority to keep the peace, to preserve the integrity of the voting process and maintain order in the polling place is entrusted to the election judge. In fact, a police officer must obey the order of the election judge at the polling place.”
He also took issue with Gamble’s statement that “Republican voters are not being represented” and that they could feel disenfranchised as a result.
“Voters decide the outcomes of elections. The party affiliation of an election judge does not stop them from casting their ballots or disenfranchise a voter. And to say otherwise is disingenuous,” DeMarinis wrote.
“Any complaints about an election judge regarding their fitness, qualifications, or performance, should be reported immediately to the local board of elections, which has the authority to investigate and remove that election judge.”
Gamble said he can’t help how people construe things, but that nothing in his letter was intended to be threatening.
“I think the letter is drafted in a way that was like, I have a complaint. I understand these are the numbers. This is what the law says. Please comply with the law,” he said.
The sheriff acknowledged that the election law contains no criminal penalty. He added that he is “not sending anybody over there to arrest anybody.”
But he did raise the potential of legal action, saying “any citizen” could go to court and file a writ of mandamus to get a judge to issue an order telling election officials what do. Gamble hedged on whether he would be the one to do it.
“I don’t have time for it,” said Gamble, who noted his agency is in the process of moving to new offices.
“I mean, if we had to, then I would go and try to figure out how to write a writ of mandamus,” he said. “I’ve never written one before, but I can get on my computer and get AI to do it for me, right? And then I can go in front of the judge if I had to. But, you know, my preference would be for them to follow the law.”
by Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters
October 3, 2024
Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected]. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and X.
Totch Hartge says
What does Mr Stepp think of our 6-3 Supreme Court?
I trust Joe Gamble to be there for us, and thank him.
Personally, as an election judge a few years, I’ve never seen a single threat to bias or anything close.
Go stir up trouble somewhere else.
Everybody go vote
Barbara Denton says
The letter Sheriff Gamble sent is obviously not a threat. He is politely asking the Talbot County Election Board to the follow the law. They have no intention of doing this. There are plenty of trained Republican election judges available to be given the 12 election judge jobs that they should have. This has been going on for years.
It would seem to me the election board should be appointed by the County Council with the majority being the majority party of the County. That is not how it is done so we can rest assured the Board will not follow the law.
By the way, 2 of the election judges are not Talbot County residents. What is that all about?
Clara Kelly says
Once again, I ask did anyone on the County Council or other government official bring this to the attention of the Attorney General of Maryland for a determination as to whether or not the Talbot County Election Board is following the law? Why is everyone automatically assuming the Election Board is not following the law? Also, I do not think Mr. Stepp has been forthcoming regarding his potential conflict of interest. If I’m not mistaken, he is the one who raised the issue at the last Council meeting.
Jayne Bourke says
As an experienced election worker in MD and PA for many years, shall I simply say, if a voter is unhappy with the mix of officials in their precinct… then, shut up and volunteer to work the polls as a bona fide election worker (not a poll watcher… become a real trained poll worker), get trained, show up & stop complaining. It’s hard work and it’s selfless.
But complaining or issuing “warnings” to anyone involved in the official election process are both insulting and ignorant. Anyone who *really* knows how elections work in this country knows there are multiple guardrails everywhere to ensure they are all fair and free.
With all the misinformed paranoia of fraud by some folks or fear of threats to one’s personal safety on the other hand, there is no place for despicable comments that imply wrong-doing where there is none. Election work is arduous, and it’s getting hard to find people of any party willing to do the work & take the personal risks so we can ALL vote.
Election workers are people of all political persuasions & selflessly work long hours with integrity to ensure we ALL get to vote.
Unhappy? How about doing YOUR part and actually stepping up to help all our neighbors vote, regardless who’s running or where? Get trained at the Board of Elections, help make the process go as smoothly for all as possible.
Frankly, anyone complaining about or “warning” election officials who take oaths to do their jobs in a non-partisan way is simply a cheap shot.
If you’re unhappy… do YOUR duty, get out and do the long, hard, honest official work at the polls, see how incredibly well the boards of elections do their jobs, learn the process & see how amazingly accurate it is… and, please have some faith & respect for your neighbors and officials who spend long hours/days/weeks making sure ALL legitimate votes are always counted, all procedures are followed…. that YOUR vote is counted.
Otherwise, shut up, stop complaining & be grateful people make this possible for YOU.
Eva M. Smorzaniuk MD says
Thank you Ms. Bourke. If more of the people who complained would learn about the process of how elections work, or actually volunteer to get involved as you so selflessly did, they would have a different view.
Michael Davis says
Law enforement officials in other states have written similar letters and they are threats. One county went so far as to stop their local poiice from providing security at the polls for fear the lcoal police will interfere with voting.
Our county Sherriff is Republican so it is not surprising he intentionally or unintentionally, is working to undermine our upcoming elections. Trump already has hundreds of lawyers on stand by to wreck this upcoming election, including using violence. The Heritage Foundation (authors of Project 2025) have been working on this for months. It would not surprise me if most of the lawyers will be members of the Federalist Society, just like they were in 2020. It seems for every Trump lawyer that is disbarred for violating their oath of office, another three pop up.
I wager if Trump appears to lose this election, the largest assault on elections in American history will happen by crooked lawyers, and law enforcement personnel belong to utltra-right organizations like the Promise Keepers. Just like on January 6, 2000.
Dennis Smith says
One should remind Gamble that he was elected to his office using exactly the same methods used by the election board for ALL elections. So I cannot see any grounds to complain. It is his responsibility to protect ALL election judges during this current cycle which is beset by a never ending procession of persons who threaten the election process.
Danna Murden says
How safe is your vote in Talbot County? On February 14th my husband got a notice in the mail from the board of election’s off his address change ( it has not changed for 37 years when we built this house) in the same mail different envelope he got his new VOTER NOTIFICATION CARD it said that he registered to vote in 2002 ( that date is off by thirty 30 years ). The notice on the change of address said if he did not request this change to call and gave the number. I called and asked to speak to the head of the election board was told she was in a meeting and would call on Monday. Never received a callback, I called again was finally able to speak to her. She didn’t listen to anything I had to say and went on about him changing his address. When I was finally able to make her understand there was no change and about the 30 year discrepancy she said she would check into it and call me back. She never called back, when I called again there was no clear answer about the change of address but said the 30 year discrepancy was I quote “ A GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM “. I asked to find out about it never received a call. May 28th he got another change of address in the mail. I called, told me to send correct information. I sent copies of everything he received and the correct address and he has never received a card with his correct address or a call or letter with any information. I document all phone calls except personal as to date, time and what was said. Forty plus years of having two businesses taught me to do this. After several months ago reading about Republican judges and Republicans who had tried to be come judges and were never called back I became throughly disgusted with our board of elections. So this is why I say HOW SAFE IS YOUR IS YOUR VOTE IN TALBOT COUNTY!
Clara Kelly says
So sorry for your frustration, Ms. Murden, but one bad experience does not undermine the integrity of the electoral process. Rather than trying to resolve your problem over the phone, you might want to go to the Talbot County Elections Board office, documentation in hand, and review your situation in person. They are conveniently located at 215 Bay Street, in a building near the Easton Acme. There’s plenty of parking, too. I was recently there to ask when I should expect to receive my ballot — I requested mine be sent to my post office box. They were very helpful and informative. Their hours are 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. They also have Board meetings once a month, which the public is invited to attend.
Paul Rybon says
Thanks, Sheriff Gamble. One of my concerns is a judge marking my ballot, which is also illegal. If that happens I will ask for another ballot or contact your office.
Bettye Maki says
This article rang a memory bell for me. Upon moving to Easton 7 yrs. ago applying to be an election judge was a top priority. I figured I would be readily accepted as I had 2 yrs of experience as a judge and 3 yrs as a co-chair person. I applied as a Republican.
I did not hear back, I thought they must have the positions filled, then one of my democratic friends started working at the next election. Then I thought it might be my age, then a democratic friend my same age started working.
My not hearing back has been a mystery, maybe this is the answer.
Barbara Denton says
It certainly is the answer. This has been going on for years. Finally, someone had the nerve to bring it up at an election board meeting and ignoring the law is the final result so far. Please note there are trained Republican judges available. This has nothing to do with people not voluntarily applying to be judges. It has everything to do with past practices which were wrong and that no one challenged. It is time to stand up and demand the law be followed.
Maurice Schlesinger says
There are about 1000 more registered Republicans in Talbot County than Democrats. Why don’t more Republicans step-up to serve as poll workers?