Frederick County elections board names new director
Dec. 2—The Frederick County Board of Elections on Wednesday named Barbara Wagner its new director.
Wagner, who has been interim director since longtime director Stuart Harvey retired in July, oversaw the recent city of Frederick elections and the drafting of new County Council district lines adopted by the county's redistricting commission.
After beginning in 2008 as a poll judge at Carroll Manor Elementary School in Adamstown, Wagner became increasingly involved in local elections. She taught soon-to-be election judges as a trainer in 2018 and worked with the board in 2020 before Harvey eventually nominated her to be his interim successor.
"I've done everything, from cradle to grave," Wagner said, adding that becoming director of the county's elections board marks the pinnacle of her tenure in local elections. She noted she's the first Black person to serve in the role.
In coordination with the State Board of Elections, the county's elections board selected Wagner from a pool of around 10 candidates, said Dan Loftus, attorney for the board. The board's vote for Wagner came two weeks ago, but the body didn't recognize its new director until Wednesday to allow for candidates to be notified.
Wagner is assuming her role as director in the wake of a presidential election defined by unproven allegations of election fraud — something that undermined trust in American elections for some fringe political groups.
As director, Wagner said she hopes to uphold trust in county elections by promoting transparency and communication from the elections board to community members as a way to combat disinformation and to encourage participation. Roughly 22 percent of eligible voters partook in the city election that concluded in November.
"My focus for this office is to increase our visibility in the community," Wagner said.
Wagner said she especially wants to see more young people vote and otherwise participate in local elections as poll judges.
She plans for elections board officials to visit local high schools and colleges to spark interest among the county's young people. She's found people are quick to tune into national elections but are less inclined to participate in the elections that shape issues closer to home.
"Local elections is where it's at," Wagner said.
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