Election Integrity Down The Drain: How The SBE Spoiled 500k Main-In Ballots
Maryland just witnessed a massive error in our election system, and this has the potential to be a disaster. Mail-in ballots have been sent, and Marylanders have already begun casting their votes. Last Friday, the State Board of Elections announced in a press release that half a million mail-in ballots were sent to voters with the wrong party affiliation.
Maryland has a closed primary, so voters must vote in the primary of their registered party. This means that some Democrats received Republican ballots, and some Republicans received Democrat ballots — a violation of state law, whether the voter realizes it or not.
The brilliant solution that the State Board of Elections came up with? Send out 500,000 ballots AGAIN!
This raises some serious concerns:
How will it be ensured that voters only cast one ballot?
What happens to the people who have already voted on the wrong ballot?
How will we ensure that something like this never happens again?
Democrats are silent. Governor Wes Moore is silent, but President Trump was quick to respond:
The Media’s Response: A “Stafu”
The media calls this a “snafu”? It is so much more than that. 565,000 live ballots were mailed by the Maryland State Board of Elections, and they now have to be replaced.
If this had happened under Republican Governor Larry Hogan or President Trump, it would be wall-to-wall coverage, complete with breathless commentary about threats to democracy. The headlines would be relentless: “Election Crisis Unfolds,” “Ballot Catastrophe,” and endless segments questioning whether the integrity of our election system is at threat.
Yet because this unfolded in deep-blue Maryland under Democratic leadership, it’s been quickly dismissed as a simple “administrative hiccup.” The double standard is glaring and corrosive to public confidence.
President Trump is absolutely right to demand full transparency and answers on election integrity. Every voter — regardless of party — deserves to know that their ballot is secure, accurate, and properly handled from start to finish. Questions about the chain of custody, why this error occurred, and what safeguards failed must be addressed openly.
And where is Governor Wes Moore? There has been no press conference, no direct address to anxious Maryland voters, and no accountability. Silence in the face of such a large-scale error is unacceptable.
Demanding Secure Elections
The Maryland Freedom Caucus is demanding that the State Board of Elections fully cooperate with the Department of Justice to resolve these election security matters. If we do not have faith in a fair system, then we cannot have faith in the leaders elected by a flawed system.
Maryland has dramatically expanded mail-in voting in recent years. Convenience matters, but it cannot come at the expense of accuracy and security. When errors like this happen — and the “fix” creates even more problems — it proves the critics right: we need stronger safeguards, not blind trust in vendors and bureaucrats.
Voters should not have to wonder if their ballot will count or whether someone else’s might cancel theirs out through administrative sloppiness.
I will continue fighting in Annapolis and speaking out until we get real answers and real reforms. Our elections must be secure, transparent, and worthy of the public’s trust.
If you received multiple ballots, please contact your local Board of Elections and document everything. And reach out to me — I want to hear from you.
Maryland deserves better than this. Let’s demand it together.
Office Contact
If you have a concern, legislative idea, or constituent issue you need assistance with, please call my office at (410) 841-3698 or email me at kathy.szeliga@house.maryland.gov. Please be sure to follow me on Facebook and X, or visit my website at MarylandKathy.com.
God Bless,
Delegate Kathy Szeliga
Maryland House of Delegates
Vice Chair, Maryland Freedom Caucus