ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A decision to not reprint ballots for the Maryland gubernatorial primary race has gotten mixed reactions.
The Maryland State Board of Elections said this is the first time it could recall that a candidate has died in a leading, statewide race just weeks before an election.
Valerie Ervin was running for lieutenant governor on former Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz’s ticket. On May 10th, Kamenetz suddenly died from a heart attack.
Ervin made the decision to run for Maryland’s top job, but learned the board of elections decided it will not reprint the Democratic primary ballots to include her name and her running mate, Marisol Johnson.
“Voters that plan to vote for me in the primary will be very confused to see Kevin Kamenetz’s name and my name, but not my name and my lieutenant governor,” Ervin told WUSA9.
Ervin explained she will consider taking legal action if the state moves forward with its existing plan.
One of Ervin’s opponents, Alec Ross, sent a letter to the election board.
Ross said the state’s decision “calls the integrity of the election into question.”
In the letter, Ross also said several printing companies told his campaign there is enough time to reprint the more than three million ballots the state needs before early voting starts on June 14.
A spokesperson with the state election board told WUSA9 it is not about money, but time. The state explained more goes into revising the ballot than just printing off sheets of paper.
Election officials would have to rebuild databases for each ballot type, proofread them and order a specific type of paper to print them on.
The election board revealed it made its decision based on a recommendation from the state’s attorney’s office.
Election officials said a vote for Kamenetz-Ervin will equal a vote for Ervin-Johnson.
Plans are still being finalizing on how voters will be alerted about the ballot. Absentee ballots went out earlier this month, and the primary election is on June 26th.
