Poll problems reported in Maryland

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MMontgomery County election officials are seeking to keep polls open an extra hour, until 9 p.m., after they forgot to deliver electronic voting cards to election judges and were forced to turn away voters this morning.

County Board of Elections officials did not discover that the electronic voting machines at the county's 238 precincts lacked supply cards, which are needed to record votes, until 6 a.m., an hour before the polls were scheduled to open.

Elections board spokeswoman Marjorie Roher said all polling places had the supply cards by 10:30 a.m. and that the board has voted to petition the Montgomery County Circuit Court to keep polls open. Officials are encouraging voters who were turned away to return later today, she said.

"The majority of people were able to vote using provisional ballots," Miss Roher said. "The important message is that if people weren't able to vote this morning, they should return to the polls."

The breakdown was caused by staff at the elections board who failed to include computer voting cards in supply packets that had been mailed out to election judges.

"The packets are assembled by permanent Board of Elections staff with assistance from temporary employees. We regret the error," Miss Roher said.

Voters, election observers and candidates were outraged by the mistake, which happened despite a pledge by county election officials to post election results by 9 p.m.

"People were walking away because they couldn't stand in line," said Frances Sparacino, 73, of Silver Spring, who voted at Pinecrest Elementary School. "This smacks of hanging chads."

Bette Petrides, a candidate for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council, said she had received reports of voters being turned away at several polling places in Bethesda.

"I can only say there were some unhappy people this morning," Miss Petrides said. "I would certainly have hoped that in a county as large as Montgomery we'd be better prepared."