Allegations Of Election Fraud Unfounded In Viral Video: Officials

ROCKVILLE, MD — A viral video showing a Montgomery County election judge writing on a mailed-in ballot is not election fraud, but part of a standard "canvass" process, according to officials.

The video, which has been circulating online in recent days, was brought to the attention of the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

In a statement issued this week, county election officials said they had investigated the video and determined that the allegations of misconduct were unfounded.

According to the board, the male election judge was reviewing the ballot "to ensure that the intent of the voter (would) be accurately captured by our ballot scanning equipment."

"There are instances when a voter does not use a dark pen," election officials said in a statement. "Under those circumstances, a canvass worker darkens the voter's selections with a black pen. This has been a regular part of the canvassing process for many years and is necessary for the voter's ballot to be scanned and thus counted."

Despite finding no evidence of misconduct or fraud, the board said: "for the purpose of transparency and to assure voters who may be watching via the livestream of the integrity of the process, in the future canvassers will only darken ovals while being observed by an Election Judge of another political party."

The public can watch the canvass process via livestream or in-person at the Plum Gar Recreation Center in Germantown. The calendar of canvassing dates and locations can be found here.