ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Board of Elections has responded to a blistering letter from Governor Larry Hogan on absentee ballots and the November General Election.
On Monday, Hogan demanded a status report within 48 hours on where the Board is in the process of mailing out ballot applications, and preparing for in-person voting come Election Day.
RELATED: Hogan scolds Elections Board, demands answers on absentee ballots within 48 hrs.
In their return letter, Elections Administrator Linda Lamone wrote the mailing application would be presented to the State Board of Elections for approval at Wednesday night's board meeting.
Once approved, Lamone says the applications would be sent out to a vendor for Spanish translation, which she says could take five days.
After that, instructions and artwork will be sent to another vendor to be printed on the ballot applications and mailing envelopes.
Up to 4 million applications are expected to be produced within 14 business days, according to Lamone, during which time other approval processes will take place.
Lamone wrote that she expects the first batch of absentee ballot applications to be mailed on August 24, with all of them being sent out by August 31.
The Board tells Hogan they're seeking the help of a data center to process completed forms, because they lack the capacity to take-in the expected number of applications, and fear voters may not receive their mail-in ballots in time to vote and return them.
Lamone said several local boards of elections have requested to consolidate in-person polling locations, for which she said the board will consider at their Wednesday meeting.
Until then, Lamone said she couldn't give Hogan an answer on the minimum number of polling locations that would be open for in-person voting on Election Day.
Hogan and other state leaders have been critical of Lamone since the June primary when there were other issues with mail in ballots.
Read the entire letter below.
Governor App Mailer Plan 08032020 SBE Response 08042020 by Wmar Web on Scribd
