* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Dorsey
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Informational Hearing - Are We Prepared for Election 2020?
For the purpose of inviting the President of the Baltimore City Board of Elections and the Election Director for the Baltimore City Board of Elections to brief the City Council on preparations and readiness for the upcoming 2020 primary and general elections in Baltimore City.
body
Recitals
A democracy is ineffective if the citizens cannot exercise their right to vote. After years of election day SNAFUs, the citizens of Baltimore have grown wary of the City Board of Elections' ability to effectively hold an election without incident, undermining faith in the basics of our democracy.
In 2016, due to the shortage of election judges, many polling locations failed to open on time, leaving many to abandon their chances to vote during critical early morning voting hours.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the State Election Board determined that 1,188 provisional ballots that year that were scanned without eligibility verification, while an additional 465 were never included in the tally at all.
In 2018, when voters arrived at their polling locations, many were once again met with locked doors, broken voting machines, and insufficiently trained judges. Some voters only learned that their polling location was relocated when they arrived. One polling place had been closed by the school system months beforehand, yet this information did not make it to that precinct's voters.
This is not a recent phenomenon. Baltimore City has not had an incident-free election in some time. In 2006, a shortage of well-trained judges caused four polling sites to open more than five hours late.
The citizens of Baltimore must be assured that the Board of Elections is properly prepared for the upcoming 2020 Elections. The City Council requests the presence of the Election Director and the President of the Board of Elections to testify as to the Board's readiness to hold elections without incident.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the City Council invites the President of the Baltimore City Board of Elections and the Election Director for the Baltimore City Board of Elections to brief the City Council on preparations and readiness for the upcoming 2020 primary and general elections in Baltimore City.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the President of the Baltimore City Board of Elections, the Elections Director for the Baltimore City Board of Elections, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.