A blind voter who had a “horrific” experience voting during the primary election has filed a new complaint against the state election board, adding to the list of grievances in a lawsuit initiated by the National Federation of the Blind in May. One of the original plaintiffs, Janice Toothman, is seeking an unspecified amount of damages for what she says was a bungled voting experience that left her without the ability to vote privately or independently. Toothman, 52, is deaf and blind with a limited ability to hear. … Election officials eventually determined Toothman’s voting card was not properly programmed as a “non-visual ballot,” an observation Toothman originally offered. Toothman’s voting card was updated which allowed for sound in the headset, but Toothman said she had difficulty hearing due to background noise in the voting station and the low volume of the head set.
… Some voting advocates believe there is a movement to certify the online tool for use in the general election, despite the security concerns of some board members and IT security experts. A supermajority of four votes would still be required.
One of the attorneys representing the National Federation of the Blind is a partner at the law firm Brown Goldstein and Levy, the same law firm that represented State Election Administrator Linda Lamone earlier this year in a lawsuit related to controversial campaign finance guidelines issued by Lamone for the 2014 primary election.
Weber said her firm looked into the potential conflict of interest in suing a former client and determined there was none.
Full Article: MarylandReporter.com | The news site for government and politics in the Free State.