The Maryland State Board of Elections held an emergency meeting Tuesday to consider a path forward after mail-in ballot missteps caused confusion among voters in the state primary.
In early May, the vendor handling state printing sent the wrong Democratic and Republican ballots to some voters. The vendor, Taylor Print & Visual Impressions Inc., admitted the mistake and agreed to issue replacement ballots at no charge to the state.
The confusion stemmed from voters who had already returned their original ballot, including some who received a ballot with the incorrect party affiliation.
At the emergency meeting, held just two days before early in-person voting begins in Maryland, the elections board unanimously approved a set of protocols that voids the original mail-in ballots in the state’s voter registration system if a voter received a replacement ballot. That will make it so only the replacement ballots, mailed as of May 27, will be counted.
However, if a voter already returned an original ballot for the wrong party, it will still count, but only in nonpartisan races such as the state board of education, the elections board said.
If a voter returned an original ballot and also returns a mailed replacement ballot, only the replacement ballot will be counted.
And if a voter returns an original ballot and also votes with a provisional ballot at an in-person voting site, the provisional ballot will be counted.
A website has been created for voters who want more information about what officials admit is a confusing situation.
“We want to make sure the canvass goes along smoothly and as transparent as possible for this issue with the vendor and with mail-in ballots here,” Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Jim DeMarinis said at the meeting.
Voters who want to turn in their ballots before Election Day can use drop boxes, early voting centers, local election offices or mail them in if they’re postmarked by June 23. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at polling places on Election Day.
Early voting starts Thursday and runs through June 18. Maryland’s primary election is June 23.
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