The Maryland State Board of Elections said Monday it will send replacement mail-in ballots to all voters who requested them for the state’s June 23 gubernatorial primary after a printing error caused some voters to receive ballots for the wrong political party.
Voters who will receive replacement ballots will be notified via postcard, text, or email, depending on their preferred method of communication, beginning on Monday, May 18. Production of replacement ballots will begin on May 19, and replacement ballots will be mailed on a rolling basis through May 29.
In a statement released May 18, the board said that the problem stemmed from a coding error by the mail-in ballot vendor.
Affected voters are instructed to destroy their original ballot and use only the marked replacement ballot. Additional instructions will be included in the mailing according to the SBE.
Ballots mailed before May 14 that have already been returned will be voided by local election offices. The SBE said that they will utilize existing safeguard practices to ensure that only one ballot is counted per voter and the integrity of the canvassing process remains intact.
Voters who requested their mail-in ballot after May 14 are not affected by the error and will receive only one ballot, but can expect a slight delay in processing.
Voters can visit vote.md.gov/vote2026 for more information regarding who is affected, frequently asked questions, and the ballot replacement process.
The Maryland gubernatorial primary election is scheduled for June 23.
