Following discrepancies in a county council race, Frederick County decided to decertify its results from the primary last month and will rescan its ballots.
The retabulation process began Wednesday and is expected to last about two days, followed by recertification of the election, according to the county. Officials discovered a discrepancy between ballots accepted and votes tallied in the county’s Council District 3 Democratic primary race while preparing for a recount and opted to rescan all of its ballots in response.
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“Out of an abundance of caution the Frederick County Board of Elections will vote to decertify the results of the 2022 Primary Election and rescan the mail-in and provisional ballots,” Frederick County Board of Elections said in a public notice.
Located in Maryland, Frederick County has a population of about 255,000 people. The primaries in the state took place on July 19. A recount for the county’s Council District 3 race had been requested by contender M.C. Keegan-Ayer, who trailed his opponent by a mere three votes, per the board of elections website.
“An on-going review suggests there were human errors in ballot accounting during the mail-in and provisional canvasses. As a result of this discovery, all ballot accounting will be reviewed,” the county board of elections added.
The county plans to certify its election results again based on its findings from the new tabulation. A recount the board planned for Tuesday for the county’s Council District 3 race was canceled, but a new recount could be requested after the county recertifies its election.
To assist with its retabulation efforts, the county’s board requested assistance from the state board of elections and the Howard County Board of Elections to help ensure accuracy. The public is invited to attend its rescanning process.
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News from Frederick County follows election concerns in several other counties across the country, including Pinal County, Arizona, which experienced shortages of ballots during its election earlier this month.
During the aftermath of the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump and his supporters peddled claims that election fraud and malfeasance deprived him of victory. As a result, election boards have faced heightened scrutiny over their election practices, and the courts have widely rejected the claims of fraud.
Still, the push to challenge the 2020 results remains alive. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos recently said Trump has repeatedly pressed him to decertify President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state, something which Vos said would be unconstitutional. Vos, a Republican, defeated his Trump-backed primary opponent on Tuesday.
