About 1,500 Wrongly Taken Off Md. Voter Rolls

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Court officials say roughly 1,500 Maryland residents with misdemeanor convictions were wrongly taken of voter rolls over the last six years.

The Capital reports that officials didn't become aware until former Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold contacted state and county elections officials after receiving a letter informing him he was being dropped from the voter rolls. Leopold was convicted in January of two counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor, and resigned.

People convicted of felonies lose their right to vote until sentences are completed. People convicted of misdemeanors do not.

Officials say the list of new felony convictions the judiciary sends to elections officials each month included misdemeanor convictions.

Robert Duckworth, the county's chief clerk, says the problems likely began around 2007 and officials are correcting the problem.

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