September 21st, 2020 by WCBC Radio
Delegate Neil Parrott, joined by Delegates Wendell Beitzel, Joe Boteler, Dan Cox, and Warren Miller, asked the Maryland Board of Election Supervisors to follow the laws passed by the Maryland General Assembly regarding ballot canvassing and results tabulation. A copy of the letter is attached to this press release.
Allowing ballot canvassing one month before the election could create chaos and allow Maryland’s election to be questioned. Current law allows sufficient time to count and validate all votes, without allowing ballot canvassing one month before the election and should not be changed even with the ongoing pandemic
Delegate Parrott indicated that, “Counting ballots early is unprecedented in Maryland and should not be allowed without legislative debate and approval. One of my biggest concerns relates to unintended consequences of this action. For instance, if someone wants to change their vote choice after initially casting a vote, this can be accomplished when counting after the election, but is impossible if the counting starts early.”
Delegate Dan Cox (MD-District 4) said, "Starting to count ballots a month before election day defies the State Constitution, Maryland Code and the Governor's executive order in which the authority to do so is supposedly based. This action adds more confusion and distrust of our election process."
Delegate Parrott agreed and added that, “Counting votes early could invalidate someone’s vote if another person accidentally or intentionally voted using the wrong name. This would not be a problem if the counting were simply started as normal, after 8 PM on election day.”
Parrott represents Legislative District 2A in the Maryland House of Delegates. He is the Republican Nominee for The United States House of Representatives in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.
.jpg)
