100,000 Maryland voters have cast ballots for early voting, election officials say

Election leaders in Maryland say about 100,000 voters have made their voice heard during early in-person voting for the primary election through Wednesday, with one more day to go. 

The state is also expecting many mail-in votes, as the voting method continues to gain popularity.

So far, the state says more than 154,000 mail-in votes have been received, which is about 30% of the ballots sent out. 

Addressing the ballot mishap

This comes despite a ballot mix-up just a few weeks ago. A printing issue caused about 500,000 ballots to be sent out incorrectly, according to the state. New ballots were sent out to all impacted voters.

The state says only the second ballot will count, and there is a mechanism in place to make sure ballots from the same voter do not count more than once.

"Mail-in voting has safeguards in place to prevent anybody from double voting," State Election Administrator Jared DeMarinis said. "We have had that before this election. These are longstanding policies here."

Mail-in voting vs. in-person voting

Mail-in voting was the second most popular voting option in 2024, according to DeMarinis. He said about 40% of all votes were mailed in.

"I think the new normal now is that mail is going to be probably the second most popular option moving forward," DeMarinis told WJZ.

Early voting ends Thursday, and state officials expect a boost in turnout Wednesday night and Thursday before the polls close. They will reopen on Primary Day, June 23.

"For this particular election, we were expecting, projecting more," Baltimore City Elections Director Clifford Tatum said. "We're prepared."

Voting in Baltimore

About 8,000 ballots have been cast in Baltimore City during early voting.

Voters in Baltimore City say they are voting for candidates who they believe will make a change and address issues like violence and vacant homes.

"Voting gives you a step in the process," Keith James said at the polls. "I love this place. I just wish they would do more with the inner city with their vacant homes. It's too many."

"Elections are safe"

While the sanctity of elections has come under fire, Maryland election leaders say voting in this state is secure.

"Elections are safe. There's not fraud in the system, and we just encourage the voters to block out the noise," Tatum said.

Early voting closes Thursday at 8 p.m. Voters can cast ballots at any early voting location.

On Primary Day, voters will need to vote at their designated precinct. Mail-in ballots need to be post marked by June 23. 

DeMarinis suggests dropping off a mail-in ballot at a state ballot box rather than dropping it at the Post Office to ensure it is received on time.