05/18/2026
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MARYLAND VOTERS RECEIVING MAIL-IN BALLOTS
As you may have heard, The Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE) has been made aware of a printing error by the state's mail-in ballot vendor for the Maryland 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election scheduled for June 23, 2026. While some voters may have received the correct ballot and party affiliation as they are registered, a vendor error resulted in some voters receiving the wrong party ballot.
SBE determined the only course of action to ensure the integrity and security of mail-in voting was sending all voters who requested a mail-in ballot a new ballot. (This is the 400,000 or 500,000 number you may be seeing in the news.) Note that if a voter requested and received their mail-in ballot by web delivery (Print at Home ballot), their ballot will not be affected.
What happens next?
Starting today, Monday, May 18, SBE is sending all voters who will receive a replacement ballot a postcard (shown below) to the same address where they receive their ballot. All affected voters will be notified.
Additionally, if the voter receives emails or texts from SBE, they will be notified using their preferred method of contact that they will receive a replacement ballot.
Replacement ballots will begin being sent on May 19, 2026. To help voters identify replacement ballots from the original ballots, the ballot envelope will have “REPLACEMENT BALLOT INSIDE.” All replacement ballots will be mailed to voters by May 29, 2026.
What should I do if I am a Mail-in Voter?
Instead of mailing the original ballot you got, you should return the "replacement ballot” in the envelope marked "replacement envelope.” Destroy the original ballot you received even if it looks correct. Special instructions will be enclosed with your replacement ballot.
Where can I got to get questions answered?
If you have questions, you can visit vote.md.gov/2026replacementmib to learn if you are affected, understand what will happen next, and view frequently asked questions. Please remember to rely on your state and local government election officials as your trusted sources for election information. Additional information about Maryland’s Primary Election can be found at vote.md.gov/vote2026 or by downloading the free Go Vote Maryland! app from the Google Play store or the Apple store.
How will Maryland ensure voting integrity?
SBE will utilize existing practices that prevent voters from having more than one ballot counted. As with all facets of the electoral process, there are additional safeguards to ensure only the correct ballot is being counted for each voter.
