Anne Arundel County Scrambles Early Voting Centers

IBEW Union Hall included among new Early Voting Centers

The Anne Arundel County Board of Elections has scrambled the list of Early Voting Centers for the 2022 Elections.

In 2018, the last non-COVID election year, the Early Voting Centers were:

• Odenton Regional Library

• Glen Burnie Regional Library

• Severna Park Community Library

• Roger “Pip” Moyer Recreation Center

• Edgewater Community Library

• Crofton Community Library

• Anne Arundel County Board of Elections

All of those locations except for the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections have been moved to new sites for 2022. The new locations are:

• Arundel MS

• Gladys D. Greene Banquet Hall

• Magothy River / Severn River Middle School

• Annapolis Middle School

• Central Middle School

• Crofton High School

• Anne Arundel County Board of Elections

• Laurel Park Racetrack

• Deale Elks Lodge

Now some of this reshuffling is understandable. The Pip Moyer Recreation Center has a number of summer programs being offered. The removal of libraries is a little more questionable given how large their spaces are and that libraries have been used as early voting centers ever since the implementation of early voting.

What’s very confusing is the inclusion of Laurel Park Racetrack. We’re using a Racetrack for early voting? Though Laurel Park is not included among the facilities covered by the Maryland Lottery Voluntary Exclusion Program, do we really want people who might otherwise be compulsive gamblers exposed to gambling solely for the purpose of voting early?

But the real question is: The Gladys D. Greene Banquet Hall?

What exactly is the Gladys D. Greene Banquet Hall? It’s the Union Hall for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1805.

That begs the question: why are we letting Early Voting happen at a Union Hall? Given the involvement of Unions in Democratic politics, including the endorsement of candidates in elections in Maryland, doesn’t this just seem like a conflict of interest waiting to happen?

To my knowledge, IBEW Local 1805 has not endorsed a candidate for Governor yet. But other IBEW locals have. What if they hang a massive banner outside of their Hall, or inside of their hall, in clear violation of the ban on electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place? What happens if union staff members wear candidate gear on their person while working at the hall during Early Voting?

If either of those things happens, it would be a clear disadvantage to the Democratic candidates the union did not endorse in the primary, and it would be a clear disadvantage to Kelly Schulz in the General Election if the site were to be used for Early Voting in October and November.

I am sympathetic to the idea that the Anne Arundel Board of Elections needed to move Early Voting sites this year, though the fact that this just adds further confusion to an already confusing election year is problematic. The Board of Elections should reconsider this as soon as humanly possible, but under no circumstances should Early Voting be held at a Union Hall during the General Election.