The Montgomery County Board of Elections set the record straight after a video that went viral shows an election judge writing on someone’s ballot.
The video has received thousands of views online and descriptions for the video suggest that the judge is committing voter fraud.
According to the board, this is a normal part of the election process. The judge was engaging in the canvassing process, the board says.
During the canvass, election judges review ballots to make sure every vote is counted and accurately scanned. When someone does not use a dark pen to mark their vote, it cannot be scanned and so a judge has to darken it.
“This has been a regular part of the canvassing process for many years and is necessary for the voter’s ballot to be scanned and thus counted,” said a statement from the board.
“The Board of Canvassers has an obligation to ensure that each ballot reflects the intent of the voter to make sure every vote counts.”
Although the board said its attorney did not find any misconduct, from now onward election judges will only darken ballots while a judge from another political party is watching. The county Board of Elections reminded residents they can watch the canvass via livestream or in-person by reservation at the Plum Gar Recreation Center in Germantown.
The misleading video was clipped from a Yahoo Finance livestream of vote-counting & shared on 4chan, where users alleged 1) the Election Judge was incorrectly using an ink pen instead of highlighter; 2) the camera’s abrupt pan from the scene was evidence of wrongdoing.
— Election Integrity Partnership (@EI_Partnership) October 22, 2020
Full statement from @md_sbe is below. Stay vigilant! pic.twitter.com/4zMvaIlHGW
— Election Integrity Partnership (@EI_Partnership) October 22, 2020
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