State hits pause on controversial wireless network to transmit voter information

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Maryland elections officials announced Friday that they will not require the state鈥檚 six largest jurisdictions to use a controversial wireless network to transmit voter information to the state during this year鈥檚 elections, after the software appeared to malfunction while Tuesday鈥檚 special congressional primaries were taking place.

The state鈥檚 insistence that Baltimore City and Montgomery, Prince George鈥檚, Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard counties use the wireless network had already met with resistance from local officials, who did not like the system or the expense associated with implementing it.

The state elections office wanted to install the secure networks at 1,300 polling places to transmit real-time voter registration changes from electronic pollbooks to the state office in Annapolis during voting.

State elections administrative聽聽that the network was needed to handle a potential increase in the volume of transactions with the state鈥檚 shift to same-day voter registration.

But when the network caused a significant slowdown in transmitting information during Tuesday鈥檚 special congressional primary in the city and Baltimore and Howard counties, elections officials decided to put the full implementation on pause.

Officials and good government advocates had expressed fears that the flaws revealed on Tuesday, in an election with low voter turnout, could be magnified in the regular April 28 primaries and during the general election.

In a statement, Nikki Charlson, the deputy director at the Maryland State Board of Elections, said the decision not to require the six jurisdictions to use the system was made 鈥渢o give voters full confidence that their voting experience will be safe, timely and secure.鈥�

鈥淔or Tuesday鈥檚 special primary election for the 7th Congressional District, a network was used to connect electronic pollbooks to SBE鈥檚 server. While the vast majority of voters voted without issue over 13 hours, a small number of voters encountered delays due to the implementation of this system,鈥� the statement said.

鈥淥ur electronic pollbooks are not connected to the voting system and do not impact election results, yet we are not satisfied when any voter encounters an unnecessary delay. As such, the local boards of elections will not be required to implement this system in the 2020 Primary or General Elections.鈥�

State elections officials did not discount the possibility of requiring local boards to use the system in subsequent elections, and said local elections boards had the option of trying to implement the system in 2020. But that鈥檚 not likely to happen.

The state board鈥檚 decision came one day after the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee heard testimony on聽聽from Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery) that would remove the need for the wireless networks.

At the hearing, Kagan suggested the problems elections officials encountered with the system Tuesday would have gotten more attention if the results of the Democratic presidential caucuses in Iowa hadn鈥檛 been botched on Monday night.

鈥淭hat has somewhat overshadowed the problems we have here in Maryland,鈥� she said.

At the hearing, many senators seemed sympathetic to Kagan鈥檚 legislation 鈥� and she expressed outrage that no one from the State Board of Elections showed up to defend the network.

鈥淚 am shocked that not one representative of the state board is here after the debacle of Tuesday,鈥� she said.

Jared DeMarinis, director of the SBE鈥檚 Candidacy and Campaign Finance Division, was testifying on multiple campaign finance bills before the House Ways and Means Committee during Thursday鈥檚 Senate hearing.

In a statement following the state board鈥檚 announcement Friday afternoon, Kagan said she was 鈥渞elieved鈥� to hear the system has been temporarily shelved.

鈥淥ne of the most consequential presidential elections in history is not the time to experiment with wireless devices statewide,鈥� she said.