MD orders review of technical election glitches

Maryland did not have a good primary election last week. According to the Baltimore Sun:

Major mistakes bogged down Tuesday's primary election. Equipment abruptly turned off or went missing, vote totals didn't arrive on time, and many volunteers lacked the know-how to start and operate the state's new and, for the first time, entirely electronic voting system. Circuit judges ordered polls to stay open an extra hour in Baltimore, where many election judges were no-shows, and in Montgomery County, where human error prevented a crucial electronic component from being delivered to polling stations.

So Monday, the state's elections chief ordered Baltimore and three counties to deliver plans on how to fix the problems. The order includes the firing of tardy election judges, a refresher training session for all election judges, and clear assignments for each poll worker who meets requirements.

After Tuesday's election mess, Lamone directed Diebold to produce a report on "software problems" that caused the electronic poll books to abruptly crash and reboot.

For Montgomery County, Md., Lamone is calling for a detailed report on how local election officials first learned that the voter access cards, used to activate voting machines, were not included in poll-worker supply kits, and she wants a plan to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

For Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties, Lamone ordered refresher training for all chief judges. For Prince George's, she also asked for better recruitment and training of technicians, who help with the assembly of the equipment and closing of the polls.