Replacement mail-in ballots for Maryland primaries being sent to voters this week
Maryland's Board of Elections (SBE) says replacement mail-in ballots are being sent this week to voters for the state's 2026 primary elections.
The SBE previously acknowledged an error by its mail-in ballot vendor that resulted in some voters receiving the wrong party ballot for the gubernatorial primary election.
The elections board said that more than 500,000 Maryland voters requested mail-in ballots, but the error only impacts voters who were mailed a ballot before May 14, 2026.
The SBE said that even if a small number of voters received the wrong ballot, because of the mistake, all voters must be sent a replacement ballot.
Election officials said replacement ballots were sent on Tuesday, May 26, to voters in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Queen Anne's, and Washington counties.
The remaining replacement ballots will be mailed on Wednesday, May 27, to voters in Baltimore City, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Dorchester, Garrett, Kent, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.
By the end of Wednesday, all of the replacement ballots will be mailed out, two days ahead of the scheduled May 29 deadline date that was initially provided by the vendor, the SBE said.
The board of elections said that if you already mailed the first ballot in, to vote again using the replacement. If you didn't send in the first ballot, destroy it and use the replacement.
The Maryland primaries will be held on June 23, 2026, which is also the last day voters can drop off their mail-in ballots.
Trump blames governor on ballot mishap, state responds
President Trump blamed Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for the ballot vendor's mishap and called for an investigation.
In a Truth Social post, Mr. Trump claimed, "This was done by the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore."
Trump continued, "He allowed this to happen in order to make sure the Democrats win. It never made sense to me that Maryland was considered an automatic Democrat State, but now I see why."
The president also stated that, "In Maryland, they sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots, and they got caught!"
Gov. Moore's office said Mr. Trump's statement was "false and irresponsible."
"The State Board of Elections identified a vendor error, disclosed it publicly, and is fixing it to ensure every eligible voter receives a valid ballot and every valid vote is counted," the governor's office stated.
Moore's office said that Marylanders should look to the State Board of Elections for accurate information, "not social media misinformation designed to undermine confidence in our elections."
Jared DeMarinis, the Maryland State Administrator of Elections, responded on social media, saying, "It bears repeating that no fake OR illegal mail-in ballots were distributed. The wording in President Trump's continued posts about Maryland's elections creates an environment of misinformation on voting rights. Mail-in voting is not a partisan issue. Mail-in voting is legal."
