Montgomery County Board of Elections

On Friday, we reported that Montgomery County Council candidate Mark Fennel (R-Silver Spring) released a statement accusing his opponent Don Praisner (D-Silver Spring) and the Montgomery County Board of Elections of a coordinated effort to distribute what his campaign deemed "an unnecessary 4-page letter to 90,000 plus voters in council District 4 to try to stimulate voter turnout for Don Praisner."

The issue revolves around the original Montgomery County Board of Elections sample ballots, which included the candidates' names, but not party affiliation.

The county board of elections began distributing mailings to District 4 residents on Friday, where they identified Praisner as a Democrat and Fennel as a Republican.

Marjorie Roher, a spokesperson for the county board of elections, denied any political maneuvering, saying, "We are a bipartisan group. I cannot imagine that there was any discussion with one candidate over the other."

Mark Fennel (R-Silver Spring), the GOP nominee to replace the late Marilyn Praisner (D) on the Montgomery County Council, District 4, issued a statement yesterday objecting to the distribution of what his campaign called "an unnecessary 4-page letter to 90,000 plus voters in council District 4 to try to stimulate voter turnout for Don Praisner," his Democratic opponent in Tuesday's special election.

The issue revolves around the Montgomery County Board of Elections sample ballots, which include the candidates' names, but not party affiliation.

Today, the county board of elections began distributing the mailings to District 4 residents, which Fennel called "a political waste of the taxpayers' money."

The county is heavily Democratic-likely the main reason why Fennel voiced his concern.

The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) will nominate a candidate to serve as the Democratic substitute member on the Montgomery County Board of Elections, May 13.

The position was left vacant upon the resignation of Mary Carter-Williams on April 24.

According to a press release distributed by the committee's communications director, Milt Minneman, the MCDCC is "soliciting applications from registered Democrats who wish to serve as substitute board member."