Maryland's Web-delivered ballots -- more than 110,000 have been requested -- must be hand-copied by po

[Wicked Blue]

I have a horrible feeling about this.

The Washington Post
By Erin Cox
September 25, 2020 at 5:39 p.m. EDT

The rush to vote from home this year left Maryland election judges with a burden that plagues no other state in the country: Ballots delivered online cannot be read by the state’s scanning machines.

To be counted, each of those ballots must instead be hand-copied by election judges onto a cardstock ballot.

And each week, more requests for those Web-delivered ballots are rolling into election offices around the state, dramatically increasing the pressure on a system built for a far different type of election.

A month ahead of the deadline, more than 111,000 people have requested Web-delivered blank ballots — nearly twice the volume of the previous election. About 924,000 voters have so far asked for ballots to be mailed to them.

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-web-ballots-hand-copied/2020/09/23/73221310-f2bd-11ea-999c-67ff7bf6a9d2_story.html

[Hoyt]

1. They handled half the volume before, they'll do it again even if it takes longer.

[Wicked Blue]

12. Unfortunately, as I said in another reply, there has been a shortage of judges

As of August 28, WBAL TV in Baltimore reported the following:

BALTIMORE —

The number of election judges has improved significantly, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

The panel met Friday to discuss a variety of issues related to the general election in November amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Without election judges, Election Day isn't possible. At one point, Maryland was short by about 14,000 election judges.

On Friday, the SBE was told that local officials can now staff all of their voting locations.

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maryland-election-judge-shortage-more-needed/33836022#

At that time, a month ago, WBAL reported the SBE was hearing that Allegany County is still looking for Democratic election judges. Republican election judges are needed in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Talbot County.

[Hoyt]

13. I hope Democrats appoint some election "judges." That seems key

at this point. In most areas, even high school kids qualify, itself not really a Judge.

Our Party needs to get to work.

[Wicked Blue]

15. I'm not sure election judges are appointed

I looked at state board of elections web site and it looks like people have to volunteer to be judges. Then they get training on how to do it.

Also, the WBAL article said counties were mainly short of republican judges.

[Hoyt]

16. You are right about that. I was thinking of "poll watchers" that political parties and candidates

appoint.

In Maryland they apparently use "Judges" to mean poll workers that check you in, check registration, etc.

But, I would think political parties could encourage people to sign up. My late wife used to do that and really enjoyed it, although the last one she did was Obama in 2008 on final day. They started at like 5:00 AM and I picked her up well after mid-night. So, it's not easy.

[CrispyQ]

2. It's goddamned embarrassing to be an American today.

We can't do anything right anymore.

[RKP5637]

4. Hmmmm ... maybe they should've used the stone tablets too! n/t

[CurtEastPoint]

6. AMEN! There MUST be federally mandated standards and rules. Let the locals run them but GD it...

This shit has to end. Ridiculous!

[Wicked Blue]

11. I agree wholeheartedly

Voting is one of the most important things we do as citizens, and there needs to be a uniform set of standards regarding the election process for the whole nation.

[intrepidity]

3. I think they'll manage OK.

For transparency’s sake, the transcription is done by a pair of judges — one a Republican, the other a Democrat. One judge reads the ballot choices aloud, and the other marks them down on the ballot. Then the judges switch jobs to check each other’s work.

The process takes about five minutes per ballot, election officials said. As of Thursday, that added up to more than 9,000 hours of work just to get the ballots ready to be scanned.

The pace was so furious that some election officials feared they would not be able to transcribe and count all the Web-delivered ballots by mid-December, when the state’s presidential electors convene to seal Maryland’s votes in the electoral college.

Officials launched several efforts to avoid that outcome.

[RKP5637]

5. This has to be a joke, right???

[elleng]

8. One would think!

My techie friend didn't believe me; sent him WaPo article. Friend has asked for his web-delivered, I've asked for mine 'hard copy' thru mail; we'll see which arrives when.

[RKP5637]

9. It's absolutely incredible!!! n/t

[Wicked Blue]

10. I know we are a blue state but

one has to wonder if our republican governor or, far more likely, republicans involved with the state election process could have had a hand in this mess.

I've also seen concerns that there is still a need in some counties for election judges because of COVID-19. Many of those who served in previous elections are seniors and are afraid of the risk.

[RKP5637]

14. As an IT person I was just amazed when I saw this. It's really insane. And what a margin

for error.

[elleng]

7. DAMN!