Trump baselessly claims Maryland ballot printing error was fraud, demands federal probe

President Donald Trump said he plans to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate an error that caused some Maryland primary election mail-in ballots to be sent to voters for the wrong party. He baselessly claimed the error was no mistake.

The Maryland State Board of Elections (MSBE) said Friday that it was “made aware” of an error by a vendor contracted to print and send mail-in ballots to voters that resulted “in some voters receiving the wrong party ballot for the Gubernatorial Primary Election.”

Though the MSBE said it’s likely the problem only affected a “small number of voters,” because more than half a million voters requested mail-in ballots, it is taking the precaution of sending new mail-in ballots to every voter who requested one. 

“This was done by the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore,” Trump wrote. “He allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win.”

Maryland has voted for every Democratic presidential ticket since 1992. As of April 2026, the state has more than twice as many registered Democrats than Republicans. 

But that didn’t stop Trump from insinuating that there’s long been widespread election fraud in the Old Line State — without any evidence to support the claim. 

“It never made sense to me that Maryland was considered an automatic Democrat State, but now I see why,” the president wrote. “I’m sure this has gone on for years.”

A spokesperson for Moore, the state’s Democratic governor, blasted Trump Monday evening for spreading false claims about the state’s elections. 

“President Trump’s statement is false and irresponsible,” Moore’s press secretary Ammar Moussa told local news outlets. “The State Board of Elections identified a vendor error, disclosed it publicly, and is fixing it to ensure every eligible voter receives a valid ballot and every valid vote is counted. Marylanders should look to the State Board of Elections for accurate information — not social media misinformation designed to undermine confidence in our elections.”

Maryland’s primary election is June 23, with the deadline of June 16 for voters to request a mail ballot. 

“Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process,” Jared DeMarinis, Maryland state administrator of elections, said 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.”