Trump Seeks Justice Department Probe of Maryland Mail Ballots

President Donald Trump said Monday, May 18, 2026, that he will ask the Justice Department to investigate an error involving mail-in ballots in Maryland’s upcoming primaries. The Maryland State Board of Elections said some voters were sent ballots for the wrong political party because of a vendor mistake. State elections officials said replacement ballots are being sent to affected voters. Trump used the episode to renew his criticism of mail voting and to attack Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said more than 500,000 voters had requested mail-in ballots. He said only voters whose ballots were mailed before May 14 were affected by the error. The state board said it became aware of the problem last week and is working with the vendor to correct it.

In a social media post, Trump claimed, without providing evidence, that the state sent out “500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots,” and questioned what happened to the first batch. He blamed Moore for the problem and suggested it was intended to benefit Democratic candidates. Maryland officials have said the issue relates to the primaries and is not connected to the general election.

Maryland officials move to replace affected ballots

Election officials said the incorrect-party ballots stemmed from an error by the state’s mail-in ballot vendor. DeMarinis said the board is sending replacement ballots to voters who received incorrect ones. The board did not specify how many voters received incorrect ballots, but said the problem was limited to mailings sent before May 14.

DeMarinis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department also did not immediately respond, and a spokesperson for Moore’s office did not comment in the account provided.

Broader fight over mail voting and federal access to voter rolls

The dispute comes as Trump continues to push for tighter limits on mail voting. The article notes that he signed a March 2026 executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting, a move that has faced legal challenges. The Justice Department, under acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and the FBI, led by Director Kash Patel, have also signaled a stepped-up focus on investigating alleged voter fraud.

Separately, Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters and Maryland’s Freedom Caucus called on DeMarinis to provide the state’s voter rolls to the federal government. The Justice Department sued Maryland in December seeking access to the voter registration list, a request that Maryland and other states have resisted.

What happens next will depend on whether the Justice Department opens a formal investigation and how the courts handle challenges tied to the administration’s election-related actions.