MD-04: The Waiting Game

We'll have to wait until Monday until we know the winner of the MD-04 Democratic primary battle between progressive challenger Donna Edwards and seven-term incumbent Albert Wynn. Problems with voting machines in Montgomery County resulted in a large number of provisional ballots being cast. The exact number of provisional ballots are unknown. A local CBS report suggests 10,000 to 12,000 were cast in Montgomery County, which comprises a small part of Maryland's fourth district. Provisional ballots not only used during the extra hour when polls were extended, but during the morning when election officials offered them to voters due to the voting machines not being operable.

Edwards has fared very well in Montgomery County, receiving 60.21% of the vote (compared to Wynn's 34.26% thus far).

According to the latest totals I've seen district-wide, Wynn has just under a 3,000 vote lead. This will be a very difficult margin for Edwards to make up, particularly considering that there remain precincts in Prince George's County who have yet to report. The exact cause of the delay in PG is unknown, as there weren't nearly the number of voting problems there as in Montgomery County. Unlike in Montgomery County, Prince George's did not stay open an extra hour. It's also unclear whether absentee ballots have been included in the figures reported. Update: Absentee ballots will be counted on Thursday.

Prince George's is Wynn's turf. MD-04 used to be solely Prince George's County (IIRC) and he's received 56.89% to Edwards' 39.97% in the county.

Still - there remain an unknown number of ballots left to be counted. Provisional ballots were not simply used in the morning and evening, they were also used throughout the day in certain locations. If a voter was marked down as having already voted for some reason, that voter would then file a provisional ballot instead. Meaning that each provisional will have to be verified extensively. Without a paper trail record of a vote having taken place, how could an elections official definitively determine whether a voter had actually voted previously or not?

The Hill has just reported that some provisional ballots may take up to a week to count, so there's a chance that the winner won't even be determined on Monday. Edwards campaign lawyers are unsure but expect a Monday evening release, though I don't think anyone in the state would be suprised if additional delays occur.

A recount is more or less a moot point since the Diebold machines offer zero paper trail for after-the-fact scrutiny. Even as Maryland elections officials have promised to fix the problems which caused Maryland's primary voting problems, it's long been determined that Diebold voting machines will not feature a paper trail this Novemeber. Elsewhere, Linda Lamone has stated that she will consult with the Attorney General to fix the problems which caused Montgomery County to remain open an hour later.

All the while, we still cannot be certain whether or not our votes are being counted nor do we have access to a recount if necessary. Particularly in light of the new Princeton University report on Diebold's AccuVote TS (which is used across the state of Maryland)---this, my friends, is the elephant in the room. That elections officials (Democrats and Republicans) largely cannot comprehend the magnitude of the potential insecurity of the machines they've implemented, prefering to simply have faith in the integrity of these machines, is mindboggling. We must hold these people accountable more forcefully than ever and mobilize stronger than ever. Only then will these types of problems be solved.

Update [2006-9-14 0:14:13 by jorndorff]: I just received this note in my inbox from the Edwards campaign:

I salute my supporters and everyone who struggled to vote on Tuesday.

I have heard from voters who made several trips to vote, some waited and waited in lines and still others had to cast provisional ballots.

In our democracy, voters expect to have their ballots counted. I am determined to know what happened in both Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties.

Thousands of voters made a tremendous effort to cast their ballot.

Voters need to have confidence that their vote counted. I will fight for answers and make sure every ballot is counted.

Our democracy demands it.