Auditors: Panel Exposed Voter Records to Potential Hacking

BALTIMORE (AP) — A legislative audit has found that Maryland's Board of Elections needlessly exposed the full Social Security numbers of almost 600,000 voters to potential hacking, risking theft of voters' identities.

A report released Friday also criticized the board's handling of ballot security, disaster preparedness, contracting and balancing its books.

The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/2pvOFMF ) that state lawmakers called for a hearing in response to the report, which prompted strong reaction from critics of the board and administrator Linda Lamone.

Doug Mayer, a spokesman for Gov. Larry Hogan, said the report underscores some of the governor's concerns about a lack of executive oversight at the board, where the day-to-day management is outside the administration's control.

Lamone said most of the findings in the report have already been addressed.

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