Election Office Explains Sample Ballot Error

Election Office Explains Sample Ballot Error
A map shared by the Worcester County Election Office shows the county's districts.

SNOW HILL– Officials are advising the public that voters in District 1 and District 6 may have received wrong polling place information.

Voters in District 1 and District 6 may have received sample ballots last week with the wrong polling place information. Postcards have been sent to affected voters with the correct information.

“As soon as our office was made aware of this issue, we contacted the printer who admitted the error was his and he has printed and mailed postcards to all affected voters listing the correct polling place location,” said Patricia Jackson, election director for the Worcester County Election Office.

The office announced June 30 that voters in District 1 and District 6 might have received sample ballots with the wrong polling place information. Jackson said this week she immediately reached out to the printer when she became aware of the issue.

“As far as the sample ballots that were sent to Republican registrants in Districts 1 and 6 with the wrong polling place, the printer has tried to explain to me how it happened and it seems to have involved mailing addresses and residential addresses being switched for some registrants, which caused the wrong polling place to be assigned to most of the registrants in Districts 1 and 6,” she said.

Jackson added that the printer had since mailed postcards to all affected voters at the printing company’s expense. The Worcester County Election Office also shared the news on social media.

Anyone with questions about voting is encouraged to contact the office at 410-632-1320. Early voting begins Thursday at the Worcester Preparatory School Field House. A ballot drop box is also located at the school for those voting by mail who prefer to drop their ballots directly into the box.

Early voting runs July 7-14, including Saturday and Sunday, and is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The primary election is set for July 19.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.