Maryland ballot blunder triggers GOP push for federal review of blue state's voter rolls

"Marylanders deserve answers after this unacceptable failure. The RNC and Maryland GOP are demanding transparency on how it happened, who will receive replacement ballots, and what safeguards will be used to prevent duplicate voting. In response, the RNC and Maryland GOP are expanding our Protect the Vote operations with voter hotlines, legal oversight, and voter education statewide."

Maryland's conservative Freedom Caucus has demanded state elections officials release Maryland's voter rolls to the federal government for an audit after a vendor error forced the state to resend thousands of mail-in primary ballots.

"The Maryland Freedom Caucus is calling on Secretary of the Election Board, Jared DeMarinis, to immediately release Maryland's voter rolls to the federal government so a proper audit can be conducted to determine the sources of the mistake," the caucus wrote in a statement. "We caution against reissuing another 400,000 ballots, and we demand to know how the state intends to differentiate between the first and second printing of these ballots."

"The citizens have a right to know the exact process by which ballots will be scrutinized," the statement continued. "With 400,000 double ballots in circulation, we need to be absolutely sure that there is one vote, one person."

The group claimed that the mistake undermines confidence in the June 23 primary, pointing the finger at Democrats and the State Board of Elections.

Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said Friday that the state was "diligently working" to eliminate doubts over the accuracy of the process.

"Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process," DeMarinis wrote in a statement. "With over 500,000 voters requesting mail-in ballots, we want to eliminate any doubt in its integrity or accuracy; that is why I have arranged the sending of replacement ballots."

"Please be assured that we are actively answering phones and responding to emails and will remain transparent as we navigate through this situation," he added. "We will make every effort to ensure that everyone affected knows the situation and how to cast their ballot. Every vote matters, your voice will be heard, and our elections will remain verified, open, transparent, and secure."

"A portion of voters received ballot packets intended for a different voter segment," the TPVI Election Services Team wrote in a statement. "We understand the seriousness of this matter and the importance of accuracy and trust in all election-related communications."

Notably, "all ballots will be remailed by 5/29/2026," according to the vendor, which is leaving it up to the recipients to destroy the first ballot they received: "Voters should securely discard or destroy the original ballot materials they received and use only the replacement ballot sent in the new mailing."

"There is no risk of duplicate voting as a result of this issue," TPVI added in a statement. "Election officials have safeguards in place to ensure that only the corrected ballots included in the replacement mailing will be accepted and counted."

The error affected ballots requested and mailed before May 14, more than a month before the June 16 deadline for voters who want a ballot mailed to them. Voters who requested web-delivered ballots - which can be downloaded, printed and mailed - were not affected.

This latest issue only increases Republicans' election integrity scrutiny in the state. The RNC had already been active in pursuing the state's voter rolls, suing in December for Maryland failing to properly maintain voter rolls and comply with federal transparency requirements, pointing to registration figures the plaintiffs say are implausibly high.

"Marylanders deserve to have confidence in their elections and to know that their state is properly maintaining its voter rolls," Gruters wrote in a statement. "The State Board of Elections has failed to do its job and remove ineligible or deceased voters from its rolls. Marylanders have a right to accurate voter rolls, which is why the RNC is suing today."

The complaint also alleged that at least two of Maryland's most populous counties have more registered voters than adult citizens over 18, while other counties report registration rates above 95%, despite Census data showing Maryland's statewide registration rate at about 75.6%.

The RNC argued that federal law requires states to update voter rolls, remove ineligible registrations and allow public inspection of voter list maintenance records, alleging that Maryland has repeatedly fallen short. The suit followed similar action in Hawaii and New Jersey and public records requests sent last year to nearly every state.