Trump calls for investigation into Maryland mail-in ballot mishap, blames Gov. Moore
President Trump is calling for an investigation into Maryland's mail-in ballot mishap, while blaming the vendor's error on Gov. Wes Moore.
On Monday, the president posted on the social media platform Truth Social that he's going to ask the Department of Justice and the Attorney General of the United States to look into Maryland's State Board of Elections (SBE) after it 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 SBE said that while it is possible that "only a small number" of voters received the wrong ballot, because of the error, all voters must be sent a replacement ballot. The state said more than 500,000 requested mail-in ballots will have to be resent.
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."
Gov. Moore's office called Mr. Trump's statement "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."
SBE acknowledges vendor mishap, president disagrees
On Saturday, Mr. Trump posted that Maryland's SBE "just had 500,000 Fake Mail-in Ballots revealed," but the board of elections responded, saying that no "fake ballots" were distributed.
The SBE said that a mail-in ballot vendor mistakenly sent the wrong party ballot for the gubernatorial election, which Gov. Moore is running for reelection.
The board of elections said it is working with the vendor to send more than 500,000 replacement mail-in ballots. The SBE said the error only impacts voters who were mailed a ballot before May 14, 2026.
The Maryland primaries will be held on June 23, 2026, which is also the last day voters can drop off their mail-in ballots.
On Monday, Mr. Trump doubled down on his initial claims, saying, "In Maryland, they sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots, and they got caught!"
Trump added, "So now, they're going to send out 500,000 more Mail In Ballots, but nobody knows what's happening with the first 500,000 they sent. In addition, many of these Ballots went to Democrats, so any Republican running in Maryland doesn't have a chance!"
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."
He added that the trusted source on election results is the State Board of Elections, "rather than a social media influencer."
"To clarify, Maryland elections are administered, supervised and managed by the bipartisan State Board of Elections- not the Governor. I'm the chief State election official in charge of implementing and conducting the election," DeMarinis said.
DeMarinis said the SBE issued a statement acknowledging an error, and it continues to move quickly to engage all affected and concerned voters.
"The action taken for reissuance of ballots eliminates any doubt about the integrity or accuracy of mail-in voting," DeMarinis said. "Maryland's elections are verified, secure, and transparent. Mail-in voting is, and will remain, an integral part of the electoral process. Every eligible voter will get a chance to cast their ballot in their chosen manner, and every voice will be heard."
