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. 

A Baltimore County voter, who was at a news conference on Monday organized by Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Hale, said he received multiple ballots in the mail.

"I got a Democrat ballot first, then a few days later I got the Republican, and this Saturday I just got another Republican," Vince said.

The State Board of Elections previously said that while only a small number of voters may have received the wrong ballot, replacement ballots were sent to all voters who received the affected mailings because officials could not determine exactly which voters were impacted.

Republican candidates and lawmakers say the error raises concerns about election integrity and voter confidence.

"If you have someone unscrupulous, it could be an opportunity for malfeasance, so that is a potential issue that we as Marylanders need a lot of answers on to feel safe about the integrity of our vote," said Tyrone Keys, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor with Hale. 

State election officials say safeguards are in place to ensure duplicate votes are not counted.

"We will count the replacement ballot because that is the first one that we will be receiving. The other one will be quarantined," DeMarinis said.

Baltimore's ballot processing

The Baltimore City Board of Elections convened its canvassing board Monday and is preparing to process replacement ballots as more arrive.

Director Clifford Tatum said replacement ballots are being sent in designated envelopes and urged voters who received a replacement ballot to use it.

"Every voter should vote their replacement ballot," Tatum said. "If they aren't able to vote their replacement ballot, they should cancel their mail-in ballot request and show up at the polling location and vote in person."