In-Person Voting Concerns County Executive, Urges Mail-In Ballots

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The Prince George's County executive has long been a champion of mail-in voting for the general election. As it stands, every Maryland voter will receive an application for an absentee ballot in the mail, but County Executive Angela Alsobrooks believes that isn't enough. She instead wants every voter to be mailed a usable ballot.

In the county with the most infections in the state, coronavirus remains a real concern for Prince Georgians. The county's positivity rate and hospitalizations are down, and weekly tests have nearly doubled since July 4, but Alsobrooks remains especially concerned about one group involved: the election judges.

Alsobrooks says the majority of the county's 3,500 polling workers are seniors, who are most vulnerable to coronavirus. Many of these employees are scared or unwilling to work the Nov. 3 election, leaving Prince George's County in a pinch for staffers.

People aged 60 and up account for 18 percent of the county's 25,167 coronavirus cases. The same age group comprises 76 percent of the 761 virus- related deaths in Prince George's County.

Gov. Larry Hogan previously insisted that all the state's polling locations remain open on Election Day. He conceded on Monday, however, allowing the Board of Elections to operate about 20 percent of its usual 1,900 voting locations. Alsobrooks cheered the move, as she had previously asked Hogan to allow the county to open fewer precincts to protect voters, shield workers and minimize the effects of understaffing.

Despite the progress, Alsobrooks maintains that every Maryland voter should be mailed a ballot. She points to the primary for further justification of a vote-by-mail election. Every Maryland voter was mailed a ballot ahead of the June 2 primary election, as coronavirus was spreading faster at the time. Even with mass mailing, Hogan says state law requires the Board of Elections to keep at least some polls open.

Critics of the June primary point to long lines at the few open precincts and delays in the election's results. Still, Alsobrooks says the election had the county's highest voter turnout since 2008, with 96 percent of the votes coming by mail.

"I remain very concerned that the Board's decision to close nearly 80% of the polls will have the potential of creating long lines and unsafe conditions," Hogan wrote to the Board of Elections on Aug. 10. "Expeditiously mailing the ballot applications, encouraging voting by mail, and protecting early voting options will be critically important steps needed to lessen the problems caused by your decision to close the vast majority of the polls."

The Prince George's County executive also asks Hogan to extend the early voting period to 11 days to thin out potential crowds. As it stands, Marylanders will be able to vote early from Oct. 22 to Oct. 29.

Alsobrooks' final request is for secure ballot drop boxes at every voting center. This will help voters assure their ballots safely make it into the possession of election officials.

"I will continue to press this issue and ensure that every voter in our County has the opportunity to vote safely while we are still in the midst of this pandemic," Alsobrooks wrote in her weekly newsletter. "At this time, we are encouraging voters to go ahead and request an absentee ballot so they can safely vote by mail."

Prince George's County residents can apply for their mail-in absentee ballot here. The Board of Elections will start mailing the absentee ballot application to all registered voters on Aug. 24. Hogan pushed for an earlier delivery date, but creating the applications and stuffing the envelopes for Maryland's 4 million registered voters took weeks, the board says.

Eligible voters must register before Oct. 13. Marylanders must return their absentee ballot applications by Oct. 27 or apply online by Oct. 30.

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