Elections administrators from around Maryland are expected in Annapolis Tuesday to brief a Senate committee on problems that emerged during April's primary — especially in Baltimore.
State elections administrator Linda H. Lamone and Baltimore elections chief Armstead B. C. Jones Sr. are among those expected to appear before the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee.
Sen. Joan Carter Conway, the Baltimore Democrat who chairs the panel, said all of Maryland's county elections administrators have been invited to speak. But she said the committee is "specifically concerned" about the performance of the elections system in Baltimore.
The April 26 city election was marred by instances of misplaced precinct results and vote tallies that didn't match the count of voters who signed in.
After the city elections board certified the results of the primary, the State Board of Elections rescinded that action and launched its own examination of the results.
Though there were several close races, including the Democratic primary for mayor in which state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh beat former Mayor Sheila Dixon, no results changed as a result of the state board's inquiry.
Conway said the committee will be looking for ways to prevent similar problems in future elections.
"We don't want any problems in the general" election, she said.
Conway said she is particularly interested in why so many election judges in Baltimore failed to show up for work on Election Day.
She said it's possible that some election problems will require a legislative remedy. Others could probably be fixed through policy changes.
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