Government & Politics

Got the wrong mail-in ballot for the June 23 primary election? Here’s what to do

MoCo elections official says error impacted voters statewide; state processes prevent counting of multiple ballots from same voter

Ceoli Jacoby

May 18, 2026 6:45 p.m.

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An election worker sorts mail-in ballots using a machine at the Montgomery County Board of Elections office building in Gaithersburg the prior to Election Day, November 2022. - Image Credit: Ginny Bixby

The Maryland State Board of Elections announced Friday that, due to a vendor error, some voters received the wrong party ballot for the June 23 Gubernatorial Primary Election.

Local and state election officials are working to address community concerns, and all impacted voters will receive a replacement mail-in ballot in the coming weeks. Here’s what Montgomery County voters need to know about the situation:

Who was impacted by the error?

Voters who were mailed a ballot before May 14 may be impacted, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Anyone who requested a mail-in ballot after May 14 will not be impacted.

The error also will not impact people who requested a mail-in ballot by web delivery or those who picked up a mail-in ballot from their local election office, according to the state board.

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Montgomery County Board of Elections President David Naimon told Bethesda Today on Monday there is no way to know for certain how many county voters may have received the wrong party ballot for the upcoming primary election.

That’s because party affiliation is not printed on the outside of mail-in ballot envelopes, and canvassers cannot open the envelopes received by the board until the start of mail-in ballot canvassing, Naimon said. Mail-in ballot canvassing begins eight days before the start of early voting.

Additionally, some voters may not know whether they received the wrong party ballot.

“While we don’t know how widespread the wrong party mailings were, we do know that the incorrect mailings affected all party affiliations — Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters — and were not limited to any specific location,” Naimon said during a virtual meeting Monday of the county elections board.

How will I know if I was impacted?

All impacted voters will receive a postcard at the same address where they receive their mail-in ballot. The postcard will be marked with the words “Attention Voter!” and will come from the Maryland State Board of Elections.

According to Naimon, the state’s vendor is scheduled to mail postcards to affected Montgomery County voters Tuesday. Voters who signed up to receive emails and text messages from the state board also will be notified that way.

Also on Tuesday, the state’s vendor is scheduled to start production of replacement mail-in ballot packets. Mailings will occur on a rolling basis as replacement packets are produced and will be completed no later than May 29, according to the state board.

Voted ballots submitted by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day. People can also hand-deliver their voted mail-in ballot to their local election board or place it in a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

What should I do if I was impacted?

Nothing yet. Those impacted should return their completed replacement ballot after they receive it, Naimon told Bethesda Today.

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The state elections board has voided all mail-in ballots that were mailed prior to May 14. That means they won’t be counted even if they have already been returned.

According to the state board, impacted people who have not returned their first mail-in ballot packet should discard or destroy it after they receive their replacement ballot.

How are Montgomery County election officials responding?

During Monday’s meeting of the county elections board, Naimon said he and other board members are “very unhappy and truly sorry” that the mix-up with the mail-in ballots occurred.

Naimon said he has personally shared the board’s concerns with Jared DeMarinis, the state administrator of elections.

“Any errors in the electoral process, regardless of who makes them, can hurt voter confidence in the process and make voting more difficult for the voters, the board and the staff,” Naimon said during Monday’s meeting. “As always, we will be transparent about disclosing and fixing any errors, whether they are ours or someone else’s.”

Will this impact the counting of votes on Primary Election Day?

Naimon told Bethesda Today the error has the potential to cause delays or make the vote-counting process more complicated, but not enough to overwhelm county election officials.

Although mass replacement of mail-in ballots is uncommon, Naimon told Bethesda Today, election offices routinely re-issue individual voters’ ballots. There are safeguards in place to prevent duplicate voting in those cases.

“Maryland has long had methods that will be used again to prevent the counting of more than one ballot for any voter who was re-issued a mail-in ballot — whether it’s because of this problem or spilling coffee on the ballot or making a mistake while voting or whatever the reason,” Naimon said during Monday’s meeting.

“The state’s process should put the correct mail-in ballots in the hands of the voters who requested them,” he continued. “We will do our part to make sure that Montgomery County voters have the best, most up-to-date information so that eligible voters can be assured that their votes will count.”

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine