Absentee

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A couple of years ago, a rumor was ripping like a chainsaw through African-American chat rooms. It warned that unless we acted now, we would lose the right to vote come 2007 -- the year the 1965 Voting Rights Act expires. Turns out I shouldn't have laughed. Oh, I know that the 15th Amendment guarantees black people the right to vote. I also know that only part of the Voting Rights Act, which forbids poll taxes and other impediments to stop blacks from voting, is up for renewal.

TEMPLE HILLS -- Denise Diaz stood in a nearly empty office yesterday, surrounded by signs proclaiming "Donna Edwards for Congress." The place was strangely silent compared with the bustle of a week earlier, when supporters were making one final push to help their candidate defeat a seven-term incumbent. The work was supposed to be over by now. Diaz, the canvassing director, was supposed to know whether Edwards had won or lost, whether Edwards was to close up shop or to push toward a near-certain victory in November as the Democratic nominee in an overwhelmingly Democratic district that spans parts of Prince George's and Montgomery counties.

Diebold Election Systems shipped Maryland flawed electronic voting machines that were used in the 2004 election, then quietly replaced the malfunctioning components last year, documents and interviews show. Gilles W. Burger, chairman of the State Board of Elections, said this week that he and fellow members were initially told that Diebold was performing a "technical refresher" of the voting machines during July and August last year. He later learned that the refresher was really the repair of a flaw discovered by Diebold about three years earlier but not disclosed to him and other board members.

WASHINGTON - The most gripping election count in modern history became a race against the clock yesterday, with a weekend deadline looming in the struggle for Florida's crucial electoral votes. Democrats are banking on hand recounts turning up enough additional votes for Al Gore over the next few days to prevent George W. Bush from being able to claim the presidency Saturday, when officials are expected to certify a winner in the Sunshine State. With a note of urgency in his voice, the latest addition to the Gore legal team, famed litigator David Boies, delivered a televised plea to officials in three heavily Democratic counties to "finish the recount fast as you can."

Just when it appeared Maryland's voting problems were on the mend, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. chimes in with the extraordinarily unhelpful suggestion that voters fill out absentee ballots instead of going to the polls on Nov. 7. Is he serious? He and his aides seem to differ on whether this is a call for action or an "option" to discuss. But let's set the record straight: Absentee ballots are fine for convenience's sake, but the more reliable, accurate, tamper-resistant and appropriate method is to cast one's ballot at the polls.

I was very excited when I read your article about early voting and especially the ability to access absentee ballots on-line and send them in ("Vote early, not often," Editorial, Aug. 29). I can get out to vote (I work for the Baltimore County Public Schools and we are closed on election day) but I prefer not to. I am 61 years old and have voted in every election since I was old enough. but I would love to be able to vote from my home. I attempted to access the on-line ballot and it won't pull up. I am fairly computer knowledgeable and it frustrates me so I can only imagine how this is going to put other people off and limit the number folks who use the service.

Sept. 7 is the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot by mail, fax or e-mail for the Sept. 14 primary. Requests can be printed from the State Board of Elections website at http://www.elections.state.md.us , or requested by telephone, in writing, or in person at the voter's local board of elections. After Sept. 7, all requests for an absentee ballot must be made in person at a local board of elections. Starting the second Friday before the election (Sept. 3) through the Thursday before the election (Sept.

Imagine being a soldier fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq so that citizens there have the right to vote, but not being able to vote yourself. This is a reality for many in our nation's armed services. Fortunately, Maryland now has a new way to make sure its citizens who are serving overseas in the military and the diplomatic corps — or who are away on business or at college — can exercise their precious right to vote. Along with senior citizens and the disabled, these groups often experience great difficulty voting because of the challenges in getting to their polling place.

WASHINGTON -- Republican Daniel Bongino, the former Secret Service agent who ran an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate last year, said Tuesday he is "95 percent" certain he will run in Maryland's 6th Congressional District in the 2014 election and recently filed federal paperwork allowing him to raise money for that race. Bongino, a 38-year-old Severna Park man, was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Maryland last year. He captured 26 percent of the vote against Democratic incumbent Sen. Ben Cardin, despite a spirited campaign that frequently landed him on national television and established the first-time politico as a rising star in the state party.

Absenteeism soared in Anne Arundel County schools Friday after a week of rampant shooting rumors apparently spooked parents. More than half of the students at two high schools stayed home. Across the system, absences quadrupled at Arundel high schools and increased more than fourfold at middle schools compared to the final day before the holiday break last year, schools spokesman Bob Mosier said, attributing the spike to the rumors. By Tuesday, principals at five high schools and one middle school sent home letters to parents dispelling false reports that a shooting was planned for Friday, one week after a mass shooting in Connecticut that left 20 elementary students and six school employees dead.