Dear Catherine,

Recently, Election Integrity Maryland found itself in the position of facing a critical vote being taken by the
members of the Maryland State Board of Elections with very little notice. In fact, we only accidentally learned
of the upcoming vote one week prior to the vote.
The vote in question was to extend the already instituted online absentee ballot request to include online ballot
marking and delivery.
The benefits of being a part of True the Vote once again proved invaluable to the success of Election Integrity
Maryland.
Only weeks before on the Leaders Call did we learn about successful efforts in Oregon and California to halt
the advance of online voting and online registration. Because of this knowledge, we were able to put together a
position paper backed up by the voluminous documentation prepared by Oregons Team Leader Janice
Dysinger and California Election Integrity Project leader Linda Paine. Due to their willingness to share their
files, we FedExd binders to each voting member of the State Board of Elections, several State Senators and
several members of the House of Delegates in advance of the meeting.
We also alerted the press by issuing a press release that was instantly picked up by some of the larger, more
valuable newspapers and media organizations.
As luck would have it, I began a vacation the day the vote was to take place. Normally, I would be the person
front and center at the meeting, but our team pulled together and Robyn Sachs, our public relations expert and
member of our board, stepped up and not only attended the meeting, but addressed the board in a packed room
filled with press and concerned citizens. The outcome of the vote halted the possibility of online ballot marking
and delivery for the moment. We anticipate more challenges ahead.
Thank you to Janice, Nancy and Robyn. Without you we would not have been able to mobilize as quickly as
we did. A special thanks needs to go to Sandy Raddue, of Beaverton, OR, who provided copies of her
testimony in opposition to Oregons Senate Bill 1515 which was defeated in February 2014.
Without the cement that binds us together through True the Vote, none of these resources would have been
known to us. Thank you True the Vote!
Freely and Fairly,
Cathy A. Kelleher