Former county executive candidate Jim Shalleck will lead the Montgomery County Board of Elections as the board majority shifts from Democratic to Republican. Shalleck, a Republican, was appointed to the elections board in February by Gov. Larry Hogan and confirmed by the Senate. Shalleck was unanimously elected to serve as president of the seven-member board on Tuesday. “I’m very honored by this and grateful to the governor,” he said. For the next four years, local boards of election across the state will be led by Republicans. State law dictates that the majority party — the party of the sitting governor — have a majority on local elections boards.
Montgomery County Republican Central Committee Chairman Michael L. Higgs said the board of elections is the only politically appointed board in the county that will have a Republican majority.
“We’re all looking forward to open, fair, honest elections and doing everything we can to ensure the people get that,” Higgs said.
Among the challenges Shalleck and the board face are the rollout of Maryland’s new voting system.
Starting with the primary in April 2016, Maryland will trade its touch-screen voting machines for a paper-based system.
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