Bob Esch and Susan Jiacinto from Anne Arundel County protest in Annapolis for Gov. Larry Hogan to reverse his decision on mail-in ballot applications.

Dominique Maria Bonessi / DCist/WAMU

Protesters and Democratic state lawmakers rallied in Annapolis Wednesday calling for Gov. Larry Hogan to reverse his decision requiring mail-in ballot applications this November.

Demonstrators said they wanted to honor the late-Congressman John Lewis by demanding fairer voting rules. Some traveled around the traffic circle in front of the governor’s mansion beeping their car horns. Others walked by wearing masks with the words “Fight To Vote,” and holding signs saying “Hogan Don’t Suppress Our Vote.”

Doug Miller from Howard County drove a smart car with a sign taped to the passenger door that read, “Needless Risk, Wasteful Bureaucracy.”

“They’re just making it twice as difficult for people to vote, and making it twice as likely that some bureaucratic snafu will get in the way of people getting their ballot,” Miller said.

Doug Miller says he’s worried about people not receiving their ballots if they apply for one online. Dominique Maria Bonessi / DCist/WAMU

Earlier this month, Hogan announced that the November presidential election would include in-person voting and mail-in ballot applications for every registered voter. But local election officials and Democratic state lawmakers are worried his decision will confuse voters and further spread the coronavirus.

Sen. Ben Kramer (D-Montgomery County) doubled-down on his calls for mail-in ballots without an application.

“Donald Trump demands in-person voting,” Kramer said at the rally. “So my question is, Gov. Hogan, do you take your directives from Donald Trump? Because we’re in for some serious hurt if that’s where this governor is going to be taking his directives.”

Montgomery County Councilman Tom Hucker (D) said under Hogan’s current plan the election would cost substantially more money. State Board of Elections Administrator Linda Lamone sent a letter to state budget officials this week asking for $20 million in additional funds to conduct the November election. It would cost an estimated $5.6 million to print and distribute mail-in ballot applications and another $5.5 million to print and mail the ballots.

“As a local official I’m outraged by that waste of money,” Hucker said. “We’re in a global pandemic every local government now is in dire need of more state funds for rental assistance, for support for front line workers, and for small businesses. This is no time to be wasting millions of dollars.”

Hucker added that the mail-in application process discriminates against minority voters and the elderly. And he is concerned a shortage of poll workers will also limit participation and put volunteers at risk.

Montgomery County Board of Election officials say they’re only able to staff 75 polling places instead of the 255 polling places in a normal election year. With the pandemic still raging, many of the older election judges and volunteers are worried about contracting the coronavirus while assisting at the polls.

Other Democratic lawmakers say they have proof that voters in Maryland want mail-in ballots. Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel County) said she sent information about absentee ballot applications to her constituents earlier this week. About 1,000 of her constituents opened the email and 250 people clicked on the link to request a ballot for November’s election.

“That was a pretty high open rate and click rate for those emails,” Elfreth said. “That demonstrates how much people want to vote by mail.”

But Elfreth said navigating the website to request a ballot was “convoluted.”

Over the weekend, Maryland Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) released a video on Twitter explaining how to register and apply for an absentee ballot online.

Some protesters also worried they would not be able to access the online ballot application. Lois Herty said elderly people and people with disabilities could have trouble accessing the online application for the mail-in ballot, and standing in line to vote could also be difficult for some.

“The lines were really long for the primary in Baltimore County,” Herty said. “People were in line till 10 p.m. It’s not fair. I mean people were struggling to vote.”

Once a voter applies for a ballot online they should receive their absentee ballot in the mail in late September or October. The state board of elections is requesting voters to apply as soon as possible. Voters will then have the option to drop-off their ballots at a drop-box, like those that were available during the primary election, or mail back their ballots to the state board to be counted. The online form will not be accessible Friday, July 24, for “routine maintenance on the online system.”

The protest came after the death of Georgia Congressman John Lewis, known as a champion of voting rights. Some protesters taped photos of Lewis to their cars to honor his legacy. Earlier Wednesday, state Comptroller Peter Franchot also commented on Lewis’s work to help Black Americans achieve the right to vote at a Board of Public Works meeting.

“[Lewis] said the vote is precious. It’s almost sacred,” Franchot told his fellow board members. “Going through this pandemic, I just want to underline how critical it is that we in Maryland do everything we can to preserve and protect Marylanders’ constitutional right to participate in our elections.”

Franchot tweeted about Hogan’s decision for the November election later in the day.

Hogan has not said whether he will reverse his decision.

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