A total of 15 Maryland boards of elections, including Montgomery, Frederick, Charles and Anne Arundel counties, were the target of emailed bomb threats last week.
Jared DeMarinis, the state elections administrator, said Monday, “It appears they originated overseas,” and the investigation is ongoing. Without going into further detail, he said the FBI is investigating and the state elections board is cooperating with that investigation.
The elections boards in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester counties received the threats, as did the board of elections office in Baltimore City.
DeMarinis said he ordered sweeps of all the state boards of elections offices before the canvassing resumed Saturday.
“We took safety of our election workers very seriously,” DeMarinis said. “We made sure that the buildings were safe to reenter as quickly as possible to continue with our canvass.”
Local law enforcement, DeMarinis said, played a role in making sure the elections offices were secure.
“I think one dog from Anne Arundel County was used in Anne Arundel County and in Queen Anne’s. He earned his treats that night,” he said. “We appreciate that dog’s efforts in making the building safe and secure for us.”
He said elections officials had performed “multiple tabletops” before the election, referring to the exercises on how to handle any threats to the voting process.
‘We’re still counting’
DeMarinis said the threats did not interrupt the process of canvassing.
While he initially hoped to exceed 3 million total voters on Election Day and surpass 81% voter turnout, Maryland Matters reported that currently, the state is on pace for as many a 2.7 million votes cast. Voter turnout stands at about 63% so far.
“We’re still counting,” DeMarinis said. “It could be ticking up a little.”
Maryland Matters also reported that the state also saw a record number of provisional ballots cast — about 135,000 statewide. Local boards will begin counting those ballots on Wednesday.
The Nov. 15 deadline for canvassing by the local boards of elections could be extended, depending on how the process goes this week.
DeMarinis said the work of staff, elections judges and volunteers in the election process is “the backbone of this entire operation,” and they make sure citizens can “exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard.”
Not only are staff members and volunteers needed, bipartisan canvass teams are also vital to counting the state’s mail-in ballots, according to DeMarinis, who thanked all involved.
The Maryland Board of State Canvassers are expected to gather during a Dec. 5 meeting to certify the results once all ballots are counted.
Maryland Matters contributed to this report.
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