Elections  

State official vows to conduct “safe, secure and transparent’ elections

State Board of Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis vowed to uphold state and federal laws and ensure that Maryland’s elections “are safe, secure and transparent.”

He called President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order detailing who can vote and who can use mail in ballots “disheartening by the threatening tone and bullying tactics.”

Reaction to Executive Order

In a three-page news release, DeMarinis spoke out against the March 31 executive order requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compile a state citizenship list of United States citizens “according to standards set forth by the executive branch using the SAVE Act”. That act requires the U.S. Postal Service to begin establishing procedures to process mail in and absentee ballots by May 30.

The letter notes the postal service won’t send mail-in ballots to anyone not on the list.

According to DeMarinis, Trump’s executive order was directed “against me, as the State chief election official, for administering Maryland elections in accordance with State and federal laws.”

“I will not be deterred or intimidated from protecting, ensuring, and advocating for voter’s rights,” he said, noting the order threatens to arrest and prosecute election workers. It “has the end goal only to create fear in election officials, disenfranchise voters, sow the seeds of distrust in the election administration and cast unfounded doubt on the election results.”

Order Not Constitutional

According to DeMarinis, Trump and the Department of Homeland Security Secretary do not have the “constitutional or statutory authority to take over Maryland’s elections and electoral processes. As we have stated before, the United States Constitution is clear: the authority to administer elections predominately resides with the States.”

Maryland will continue to use official voter registration roles maintained and administered by the Maryland State Board of Education. according to the news release. “The so-called “State Citizenship List” has no legal force or authority.”

As for mail in ballots, DeMarinis wrote that Trump doesn’t directly control the postal service, and that the postal service can’t delay or stop delivering ballots.

Voter Reassurance

“I want to reassure all Marylanders that the Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE) and our local election officials are unwavering in their commitment to maintaining safe, open, secure, and trustworthy elections,” he stated in the letter.

The deadline to request web delivery of a mail-in ballot is June 19. Early voting begins Thursday, June 11 and runs through Thursday, June 18. Election day is June 23.

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