Frostburg City Board of Elections requires printed, signed daily backup of vote tallies

The Frostburg City Board of Elections voted on Feb. 19 to amend its canvassing operating procedures to require a printed, signed daily backup of any Excel tally used during multi-day counts. The change requires that "the record stored in the Excel spreadsheet for the tally for that day, be printed out, physically signed off on by at least 2 board members, and stored in a safe location until the board reconvenes to do an on accountancy," the presiding officer said during the meeting.

Board members discussed why the board should process ballots "by ballot" in batches of 50 — meaning each ballot is reviewed across all offices before the next ballot — rather than counting race-by-race, citing efficiency and verification concerns. Staff explained prior years’ practices and said the board can choose either method, but that it had used 50-ballot batches for recent contests.

The board also set practical security steps for interim electronic records: password-protecting the spreadsheet, keeping the laptop in a locked room, producing a printed copy at the end of each counting day, and storing that printout with a tamper-evident chain of custody. A friendly amendment accepted during the vote specified that the printout be kept in a "secured location."

Members discussed the distinction between the "initial canvass" — when ballots physically present are counted and which may occur the day after the election if county counting is incomplete — and later mail-in ballots that arrive within the statutory window. The board said staff can help with preparatory tasks (opening mail and alphabetizing ballots) as long as helpers sign an oath, but the formal verification and disputed-ballot decisions remain the board’s responsibility.

The board reviewed control forms and the protocol for emptying ballot drop boxes: seal boxes with numbered tamper tape, record the tape number on forms, and, if boxes are opened before canvass, place ballots into secured totes that are then locked until canvass. Staff proposed separating form types (e.g., sealing vs. opening) to reduce confusion; the board agreed to clearer appendix labels in the packet.

On ballot disqualifications, staff outlined typical grounds (unsigned envelopes, multiple ballots from the same registered voter, identifying marks on a ballot, or ambiguous marks that make voter intent unclear). The board said disqualification decisions will be discussed publicly and put to a vote; staff will check municipal code language where thresholds for unanimous versus majority disqualification are referenced.

The amendment to the canvassing procedures was approved during the meeting. The board agreed to reconvene as needed before the election cycle to finalize form language and appendix numbering and to meet shortly after the ethics commission reviews candidate disclosure forms to finalize the printed ballot.

The board did not specify an exact count of signatures on the daily printout in its motion text, but members stated during the meeting that at least two board members must sign each day’s printed tally. The next procedural steps are finalizing the revised forms and confirming logistics for the March ballot process.