President Donald Trump on Monday called for the Department of Justice to investigate Maryland’s mail-in ballot system after a mishap led to voters receiving the wrong party ballot for the primary election.
Trump’s direction also comes as Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) is renewing calls to redistrict the state’s congressional districts after his initial directive failed in the state legislature.
The president said the investigation is due to an error confirmed by Maryland’s State Board of Elections that thousands of mail-in ballots were sent out incorrectly, leading some voters to receive the wrong party for the gubernatorial primary.
“In Maryland, they sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots, and they got caught!” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “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!” he wrote. “This was done by the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore. He allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win. It never made sense to me that Maryland was considered an automatic Democrat State, but now I see why. I’m sure this has gone on for years.”
Trump said he would be directing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate the matter.
Reports of the mail-in ballot error first surfaced on Friday, prompting the state to resend all ballots regardless of whether a correct ballot had been received initially. Anyone who was mailed a ballot before May 14, or those who received or requested their mail-in ballot by web delivery, was affected.
“The State and Local Boards of Elections remain committed to running an election that is verified, secure and accurate,” Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinisin said in a press release. “Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process. 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.”
Trump had initially weighed in on the matter Saturday, using it as a reason to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voter ID and proof of citizenship, as well as restrictions for mail-in voting.
The mail-in ballot controversy comes as Moore reignites his push to redistrict the state.
Maryland’s Democratic leadership has been split over redistricting in the last year, as state Senate President Bill Ferguson declined to take up the issue in the upper chamber despite Moore’s public calls to do so.
The legislative session ended in April without a new map in play, but Moore is renewing his calls for the Democratic gerrymander following the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais.
WES MOORE DOUBLES DOWN ON FAILED MARYLAND REDISTRICTING PUSH: ‘WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE BUT TO ACT’
The Maryland House passed a proposed map that would have favored Democrats in all eight districts, axing the state’s only GOP seat held by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD). When it moved to the state Senate, the map failed in committee.
Moore renewed his redistricting effort after the Virginia Supreme Court issued a decision to invalidate Democrats’ newly drawn map in the Old Dominion. He used the circumstances in Virginia to urge state lawmakers to act.
