Nothing rankles someone who is pledged to impartiality more than the suggestion that he or she is not.
It’s no wonder then that Bill Wentworth and associates on the Ocean Pines Elections Committee have just about had it with this year’s political carryings on and have declared that this might be the end of their service as election management volunteers.
No matter what anyone says, the demand for transparent ballot counting suggests that committee members are suspect in terms of honesty, integrity and impartiality. It’s not just politics, in their minds anyway, it’s a personal affront.
This is not to say that closed-door ballot counting is right or wrong, but it does explain why elections officials feel they are under siege and have reacted accordingly.
As it is, and as we have mentioned before, Maryland election law has specific rules regarding who may observe what during the process and when they may do it. More importantly, elections officials can have ejected from the room anyone whom they believe is attempting to influence or disrupt the process.
What that means, in more simple terms, is they can throw out just about anyone who expresses an opinion in front of others during any part of the election process.
The point of the law is to give elections officials all the authority they need to protect the legal purity of elections.
Although it’s not impossible, it is doubtful that a roomful of people will be able to keep their thoughts to themselves. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, as Aristotle once observed, a silent room itches for chatter.
Therein lies the problem with public vote counting. But again, whether quiet observation can or can’t be achieved, no one can blame Ocean Pines officials from feeling their honesty and sincerity is under attack.