Left voting cards in the machines? Somebody wasn't paying attention during their training session! Sheesh.

This sounds like a nice way to maintain the ability to "steal" votes should it turn out that your candidate needs them.

The offendors that allow this to happen are playing with the integrity of our electoral process and should be dealt with accordingly.

That means fired and replaced and prosecuted if any laws were broken. The public trust deserves nothing less.

IF "Each memory card takes about two minutes to upload, and there are more than 2,000 machines in the county," THEN "uploading one memory card at a time onto the election board's computers would take about" six-TY or seven-TY hours after polls closed.

2000 cards x 2 minutes per card = 4000 minutes.

4000 minutes / 60 minutes per hour = 67 hours.

Editor's note: Just to be clear, the election board uses more than one computer to upload the results. By your math, the board would need 10 computers

And this was with 12 percent turnout in the County. What assurances do we have that there won't be a total meltdown in the general election when four times as many people vote?

While I don't intend to be disrespectful to my elders, the average poll worker is an older person. Perhaps since everything is now done with computers, having younger poll workers who are more familiar with technology might be a good idea?

For a new or inexperienced poll judge, it's possible that this step in the very detailed procedure of shutting down the machines was simply overlooked. (Although certainly not at our polling station @ Dumbarton MS in Towson.)

Opportunity for padding the vote by intentionally leaving the cards in is slim: The machines are sealed and cabled into their carts, with every # of every individual seal duly recorded.

Plus, the paper printouts of each machine's tally record is both posted AND returned to the election board... with paper ballots for each and every machine collected, bundled, counted, documented.

Even a well-run system like the one used by Baltimore County leaves room for human error.

If the precinct did not have enough anti-tamper tape to reseal the voting machines after removing the memory cards, the procedure may be to simply leave the cards in the machines. This is not the only record, as 2 duplicate reports are printed out, one to be displayed at the precinct and one to be sent to the election board.

Unfortunately, this dismal 12% turn-out was the all too important, essential time to get your vote recorded.
Forget it if you think you can vote for 'your guy' in November, as it is HIGHLY likely 'your guy' LOST THE CHANCE to BE ON the ballot in November.
I don't think people understood the purpose of the Primary. It was the time to seriously study all candidates and select w/i your party the ones you would want to represent you on the final ballot in November.
People are apathetic (lazy) and all to often simply ignorant of the affairs of the state. The don't read or watch the news. But ask them who's on a reality/TV show or what the Ravens score was and bamb!: they're on it like flies on doo-doo.
Yes, I'm upset. A very spectacular senate candidate lost the opportunity to start the revitalization of my dieing community and worse he lost out to a 48 year fixture in government. Forty-eight years!! Pshaw!
12%!
DISGRACEFUL

What a farce. It seems there is always an excuse.
Millions spent on early voting and so little results.This cash strapped state spends millions on the latest voting machines and we keep replacing them because of problems

As one of the chief judges in my precinct, I can tell you that the training is NOT adequate. There are dozens of little things to try to keep in mind-- that's why my opposite number and I kept our manuals open and checked every single step we were to take, and guess what? We still missed a few things (though not the memory cards-- we did remove them).

Uncle Rob, I am 58 and pretty computer-literate, as is the other chief judge in my precinct. The problem really is not a matter of computer literacy; the problem is, as Christoph Amberger correctly pointed out, it's a complex process. I'd LOVE to see more younger people involved; the issue with that is that the day is extremely long and tiring, and for someone who can't take off work, or needs to get up early the next day for work, it's a lot to ask. The pay is not great-- for a chief judge, it's about $15/hour, and for a non-chief judge, about $11/hour, considering you can count on being at your polling place from 6 a.m. till 9 p.m. That's not counting that many of us also spend an hour or two the night before the election setting up, and chiefs and technical judges also have to do some extra tasks and take materials back to a central location before they leave.

And I ABSOLUTELY agree with those who call a 12% turnout disgraceful. We actually had about a 30% turnout in my precinct, and I'm disappointed with that. People around the world are still fighting and sometimes dying for the right to cast a vote, and too many Americans treat it as something to be ignored. Very, very sad.

Pamela Davis -- I do not know you personally but by the contents of your post I believe we live in the same state district and we saw the same thing last night. It was heart breaking. I saw grown men fighting back the tears -- not only the candidates and their key campaign strategists, but the rank and file. I agree with your commentary about the state of the apathy of our local citizenry. And Steve Matrazzo of the "Eagle" has the temerity to write in his editorial that it's OK to not vote if one finds the candidates uninspiring. I canceled my subscription today.