ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 22 (DC Times Online) — Maryland election officials removed Ian Andre Roberts from the state voter rolls on June 2, after the case drew months of scrutiny from Republican lawmakers who say it shows weak election safeguards.
The records cited in the reports do not spell out the administrative basis for the removal.
Republican Delegate Matt Morgan, chair of the Maryland House Freedom Caucus, said the episode shows why “Marylanders have lost faith in our elections.”
“The fact that it took this long for the state to remove him proves what we’ve been saying: the system is broken,” Morgan said. He called for audits, federal cooperation and election reforms.
Maryland voter-registration records show Roberts checked the citizenship box and signed under penalty of perjury twice. The same records show he had been on the rolls for more than a decade and had been registered twice.
Records cited in the reports also show that absentee ballots were mailed to Roberts. Those records do not show whether he cast a ballot in Maryland.
Maryland elections administrator Jared DeMarinis warned in January against “improper cancellation,” a phrase Republicans have pointed to as they pressed the State Board of Elections for more information.
The Maryland Freedom Caucus has also publicized the case, and congressional Republicans say their review of Maryland election officials will continue.
