Baltimore’s Election Results Are Decertified as State Investigation Is Launched

Although Baltimore’s primary was held weeks ago, Maryland’s Board of Elections announced Thursday that it was rescinding certification of the election results. The Baltimore Sun reports:

Linda H. Lamone, the administrator of the State Board of Elections, said officials became concerned when city officials found 80 provisional ballots that had not been analyzed, and an unusually high discrepancy between the number of voters who checked in at polling places and the number of ballots cast. The number of ballots cast at the polls was higher than the number of check-ins at the polls, she said.

Lamone said state officials were working to determine the exact size of the problem. She expected the investigation to stretch into next week.

“Baltimore City was not able to investigate and resolve these issues to our satisfaction,” Lamone said. “We are doing a precinct-level review. We are doing this in fairness to the candidates and the voters.”

The Baltimore primary included races for mayor and various congressional seats. Many results were very close. In the District 8 Democratic Party congressional race, for example, state Sen. Jamie Raskin won with 34 percent of the vote, but businessman David Trone came in second with 27 percent of the vote. In the Democratic primary for Baltimore’s mayor, Catherine Pugh beat competitor Sheila Dixon by just 3 percentage points. If the results are incorrect, it could change the outcome of several races.

Baltimore’s news comes at a time when voters around the country are alleging election fraud, and activists within the city have been voicing concerns about the election for months. “Eight data files went missing for about a day after the election, and some polling precincts opened late,” The Baltimore Sun reports, adding that “thirty-four released felons—eligible to vote under a new law—also received a Board of Elections letter before the election erroneously telling them they might not be able to vote.”

Baltimore is taking immediate action to tackle the discrepancies. The city’s official website states:

The State Administrator of Elections has directed the Baltimore City Board of Canvassers to rescind its certification of the 2016 primary results pending the State Board’s review and reconciliation of data for all precincts. The Baltimore City Board of Canvassers will meet tonight, May 12, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. at the City Board’s Offices, 417 E. Fayette Street, to take that action. The Baltimore City Board of Canvassers will reconvene on a later date to accomplish the certification.

–Posted by Emma Niles