Maryland election officials begin reviewing mail-in ballots ahead of primary elections
Maryland election officials began reviewing mail-in ballots Monday ahead of the June 23 gubernatorial primary election.
The review comes as election officials continue to work through a statewide ballot printing error.
Tuesday, June 2, is the last day to register to vote in Maryland before the primary election on June 23. Voter registration for the November general election will reopen next month.
Maryland ballot error
More than 500,000 voters requested mail-in ballots. However, some received ballots for the wrong political party due to a vendor mistake, officials said.
Election officials have since sent replacement ballots to voters, who are instructed to use the corrected replacements and not the originals.
Replacement ballots
The Maryland Board of Elections sent the replacement ballots during the last week of May after acknowledging the error made by its vendor.
The error impacted voters whose ballots were mailed before May 14, election officials said.
The replacement ballots were sent to voters in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Queen Anne's and Washington counties on May 26.
Remaining ballots were mailed on May 27 to voters in Baltimore City, and Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Dorchester, Garrett, Kent, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties.
Voters who have already used their incorrect ballot are asked to vote again using the replacement.
Calls for investigation
President Trump called for an investigation into the ballot error, blaming Gov. Wes Moore for the mistake.
Gov. Moore called the president's remarks "false and irresponsible," saying election officials identified and disclosed the error and worked to fix it.
On Monday, the Maryland House Republican Caucus sent a letter to Jared DeMarinis, the State Administrator of Elections, seeking clarification on the process for reviewing ballots to ensure incorrect votes are not counted.
"As we know you will agree, it is imperative to our democracy that our citizens have confidence in the transparency and integrity of our elections," Republican lawmakers wrote.
