Registration Glitch Yields Suspensions for Two County Voter-Services Workers

Upholding a recommendation made by the County Board of Elections in May, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners announced Wednesday that the director and assistant director of voter services would be suspended without pay for failing to explain to the Election Board who was to blame for a voter-registration error.

“Pertaining to a substantial failure of communication that occurred recently, the direction the administration is taking is … suspension,” Chairman James Matthews said at the commissioners' meeting on Wednesday, calling the miscommunication "a substantial embarrassment to the county.”

Voter Services Director Joseph Passarella will serve a two-day unpaid suspension, while Assistant Director Patricia Allen will serve a single day unpaid suspension.

An error in the Voter Services department led to approximately 3,200 voters being registered incorrectly as “unaffiliated,” according to a statement from the county. Upon review of the names, the department concluded that the people were already registered.

Of the 3,200 erroneous registrations, 695 voted in May’s primary elections.

The Board of Commissioners entered executive session at the end of Wednesday’s meeting to discuss the action, which was described as a “personnel matter.”

When asked, Matthews said that the board had reached a consensus but that no official vote on the action was needed or taken: “There is no objection to the administrative decision to suspend."

The Board of Commissioners' next meeting is scheduled for July 7.