Clusterfuck up ahead?

In Maryland

Ehrlich warns of voting 'crisis'
Backup plans urged due to area shortages in absentee ballots
By Melissa Harris
sun reporter
Originally published October 27, 2006
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. warned yesterday that a shortage of absentee ballots is "approaching crisis proportions" and asked the state elections administrator to develop contingency plans if more cannot be delivered in time.

Maryland elections chief Linda H. Lamone acknowledged that some counties had run out of ballots or had not received all they need, with the election 11 days away. But she said more deliveries were scheduled, and described the problems as manageable.

Demand for absentee ballots is high after a push by Ehrlich and others for the use of the paper alternative in the aftermath of the Sept. 12 primary, which was crippled by human and technological errors. A new state law makes absentee ballots available to voters for any reason.

The company that makes Maryland's heavily scrutinized electronic voting machines, Diebold Election Systems Inc., also prints the state's absentee ballots.