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Today, voters in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District decide who will fulfill the remainder of Congressman Elijah Cummings’ term of office.  Due to COVID-19, this election is being conducted primarily by mail. Ballots were mailed to voters, starting April 8. In 2018, less than 5% of votes were cast by mail; and about 2% of mailed ballots were rejected rather than counted. Maryland does not yet have a process for voters to “cure” or correct ballots that have been rejected for reasons such as missing signatures. The state’s next election will be the presidential preference primary on June 2nd, which will also be conducted primarily by mail. 

We recognize the gravity of the circumstances created by COVID-19, and fully appreciate the work Maryland State Board of Elections staff have undertaken in the past few weeks to protect the health of the public while providing safe access to voting. But the Boards failure to provide any in-person voting option in the Seventh Congressional District Special Election will compromise the health of our democracy.

In order to effectively accommodate voters under this emergency expansion of absentee voting, we recommend Montgomery County, Baltimore City, Prince George's County, and Baltimore County to establish the max number of Vote Centers allowed for the Primary Election. Additionally, we urge these Boards to select four locations that are accessible to voters using public transportation.

We submitted the following comments to the Maryland State Board of Elections in advance of their meeting on April 2, 2020.

As public officials adopt emergency measures to protect public health, Common Cause Maryland encourages the maximization of transparency and remote public participation, and also limiting government business to priority functions necessary under the current emergency conditions