Baltimore has awarded a $1.6 million election contract to Sam McAfee, a former city employee who runs the city’s election warehouse. This is not typical of other Maryland counties, which usually have their own employees manage their election warehouses and vote-counting operations.
The Baltimore Board of Estimates approved the deal on Wednesday, despite some officials having previously discussed bidding out the contract. However, it was decided that McAfee’s expertise could not be replicated within the time needed for a new contractor to take over.
McAfee has operated his own company, McAfee Election Services, since 1996 and will provide supervisory personnel for 60 days before an election and 14 days after. He is responsible for organizing and preparing the election warehouse, servicing voting machines, and overseeing vote counting.
The city’s new elections director, Clifford Tatum, aims to have a new warehouse manager on staff by the June primary to observe and learn from McAfee during the November general election. This move coincides with new leadership at the Baltimore City Board of Elections. The city has faced several problems in past elections, including issues with preliminary results being wiped out and equipment malfunctions.
Tatum plans to modernize the city’s operation, which has been housed in outdated facilities, and has announced plans to move the warehouse to a new building in 2027.
Source: https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/baltimore-election-contractor-mcafee-GNGKBTCT5ZBKXKX2B4VPXQQESA