Politics

/

ArcaMax

Local boards of elections in Maryland safe after emailed bomb threats

Hannah Gaskill, The Baltimore Sun on

Published in Political News

The State Board of Elections is coordinating with federal officials after 15 local boards of elections received bomb threats as votes were being counted Friday, according to Maryland’s elections administrator.

“This is something that I want to see pursued, because it affects all of us as election administrators. It affected our volunteers who help with the canvass teams here,” Maryland Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis said Monday. “I want to make sure that they’re safe, and so it’s an ongoing investigation, and we are cooperating 100% with our federal partners about that.”

DeMarinis said that, around 7:15 p.m. Friday, local boards of election in Baltimore City and Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester counties received emailed bomb threats as votes were being counted. Elections buildings were evacuated around 8 p.m. No credible threat was found.

“Out of an abundance of caution,” DeMarinis contacted local election directors to have their buildings swept by law enforcement. He said the State Board of Elections is coordinating with federal officials to determine who is responsible.

Friday’s incident is not the first action perpetrated against election officials this cycle.

On Oct. 29, the Carroll County elections administrator was granted a peace order against a member of the county Republican Central Committee, alleging that she followed her from an early voting center back to her office.

DeMarinis called Friday’s incident “the only outlier” regarding threats against election workers since the peace order was granted. He doesn’t anticipate that Friday’s threats will dissuade people from serving as elections judges.

 

“These threats failed in their mission,” said DeMarinis. “We made it safe and secure, and we’re going to continue to make it safe and secure — not only for the voters but also for the election judges, as well.”

Under Maryland law, it is a crime to threaten or harm an elections official, including election judges or their family members, because of their role in administering the election process.

Anyone found guilty of this misdemeanor faces up to a $2,500 fine or three years in prison.

More than 23,000 election judges were serving across the state during the general election.

“This is our democracy, and you can’t understate that. This is what our country has been founded upon — having a participation level, making sure that citizens can exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard,” DeMarinis said. “They are the backbone of this entire operation.”

________


©2024 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

RJ Matson Kevin Siers John Branch Lisa Benson Mike Smith John Cole