Dean Hartley: Pandemic That Prompted Mail-In Voting a Serious Factor in Mayor's Race
June 6, 2020
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
With the votes still being counted in the primary race for Baltimore's next mayor, University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs Dean Roger Hartley is considering the factors—especially the COVID-19 pandemic, which promoted election officials to set up mail-in voting—that are in play in this election cycle.
Appearing on WBAL-TV's 11 TV Hill public affairs program just before the election, Hartley says the pandemic likely increased the number of undecided voters, making it difficulty to predict.
With a sharp shift in candidates' tactics prompted by strict limits on how and where people could vote, support for anyone in particular is harder to sustain.
In that case, "everyone's second choice is really important," Hartley says. "One little thing could go wrong with a candidate and that would be enough to cross that person off your list."
Turnout could swing up or down, too, he adds, and with the slow arrival of ballots through the mail, the chances of a challenged race are higher.
Watch the 11 TV Hill interview with Dean Harley.
Learn more about Dean Hartley and the UB College of Public Affairs.