Md.'s elections chief fights suspension

By TOM STUCKEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER  07 September 2004

ANNAPOLIS, Md. A judge ordered Maryland's top elections official back to work Tuesday, temporarily overturning her suspension by the State Board of Elections until a hearing can take place.

Linda Lamone, criticized in recent months for advocating an entirely electronic voting system, has a hearing Friday on her suspension with pay - the first step toward firing her.

"Obviously, I'm happy to be back at work," Lamone said after walking from the courthouse to the nearby elections board office. "There's a lot to get done between now and the election."

Lamone has been criticized for the purchase of 16,000 Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machines, a model that experts have criticized, saying they leave no paper trail and are susceptible to tampering.

Gilles Burger, the board chairman, has cited several complaints from "multiple sources, including several local boards of election" about Lamone's performance as head of the state election system. Board members would not discuss specific reasons for their attempt to fire her, including whether it was related to her handling of the electronic voting machines.

 

After the March 2 primaries - the first election in the state to use all touchscreen machines - officials reported scattered problems, largely blamed on human error, but declared the election a success.

The Campaign for Verifiable Voting in Maryland sued, however, seeking additional security measures and paper ballots for voters who do not trust the Diebold machines for the November general election.

A judge has ruled against the organization, which has promised to appeal.

A different judge, Ronald A. Silkworth, issued Tuesday's order. He said the board could not suspend Lamone, put her on leave or interfere with her work until Friday's hearing.

Lamone has been the state's chief elections officer since 1997.