The Montgomery County Council on Thursday joined a call to reprint Democratic primary ballots in the state to include gubernatorial candidate Valerie Ervin and running mate Marisol Johnson.
Council President Hans Riemer and Vice President Nancy Navarro sent a letter to the Maryland Board of Elections asking that it reprint the ballots to include the names of “all eligible candidates” before the June 26 primary.
The letter didn’t specifically name Ervin, a former council member, but her decision to run for governor in place of her running mate, Kevin Kamenetz, who died suddenly earlier this month, set off the ballot issue.
Ervin is listed as a lieutenant governor candidate beneath Kamenetz on ballots that have already been printed. However, her campaign has called on the board to reprint the ballots and she has said publicly that she believes the issue is about voting rights.
State elections officials have said there is not enough time to reprint the ballots that will be used in the election and that some ballots have already been distributed to absentee voters, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Donna Duncan, the board’s assistant deputy for election policy, has said the board plans to create a notice to be posted at polling places to explain the issue to voters and how they can cast a vote for Ervin. Similar notices would also be provided to absentee voters.
The council letter states, “We are not convinced that posting a sign nor notice at polling places is sufficient” to notify voters of the change.
“While we certainly understand that sample ballots have already been distributed in some parts of the state, we strongly believe that new ballots should be printed statewide to include the updated names of all eligible candidates,” the council letter says.
Neither Duncan nor state elections administrator Linda Lamone immediately responded to questions sent Thursday morning by Bethesda Beat asking about the cost to reprint the ballots and their latest plans for handling Ervin’s candidacy. State political news website Maryland Matters reported earlier this month that reprinting all 747 versions of the ballots in the state could cost taxpayers $2 million.
The council also asked the board to include an insert with the updated list of eligible gubernatorial candidates in the ballots if it doesn’t reprint them.
Ervin served one and three quarters terms from 2006 to December 2013 on the council before resigning to take a position with the Working Families Party. She joined Kamenetz’s campaign as his running mate in February. Upon his death on May 10, state law allowed Ervin to decide whether to run in his place, which she announced she would do on May 17.
Montgomery County Council Letter on Democratic Primary Ballots by AJ Metcalf on Scribd
