Trump urges – President Donald Trump signed an order asserting federal control over mail-in ballots and called for an immediate federal investigation into a Maryland mail ballot mix-up in which some voters received ballots for the wrong party ahead of the June 23 primary. S
By the time Maryland election officials said replacement ballots were on the way, President Donald Trump was already framing the problem as evidence of fraud.
In a May 18 social media post. Trump said he was asking Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to “bring an immediate investigation” into a Maryland mail-in ballot mix-up that sent some voters the wrong party’s ballots ahead of the June 23 primary election. Trump’s push came as he continued to attack Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and mail voting. a practice he has frequently criticized even as he used it to cast his own ballot this year.
The State Board of Elections said last week that some voters received a mail ballot for the wrong party. The board said replacement ballots are being sent to voters to correct what it described as a vendor error. It also said the action of resending ballots “maintains the integrity and security of mail-in voting.”.
More than 500,000 Maryland voters requested mail ballots, and the board said only voters whose ballots were sent before May 14 are affected by the error.
Trump seized on the incident to argue—without providing evidence—that the mix-up was designed to help Democrats and eliminate Republican competition. “Many of these Ballots went to Democrats, so any Republican running in Maryland doesn’t have a chance!” Trump wrote. He added that this was allowed by the “Corrupt Governor of the State. Wes Moore. ” insisting that Moore “allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win.”.
Moore’s camp rejected that framing sharply. The governor’s Press Secretary. Ammar Moussa. said Trump’s comments are “false and irresponsible.” Moussa said the State Board of Elections identified a vendor error. disclosed it publicly. and is fixing it so every eligible voter receives a valid ballot and every valid vote is counted.
On the campaign trail and in policy fights, the president’s criticism of mail voting has moved beyond individual incidents. During a May 18 White House event. Trump said: “mail-in ballot is by just the nature of it. it’s going to be corrupt.” He also questioned whether the original mail ballots Maryland sent out could “infect” the voting. even as state officials said the issue had been resolved through reissuance in a way that preserves the integrity of the vote.
Maryland election administrator Jared DeMarinis responded to Trump’s claims by saying May 17 on social media that the president is trying to “mislead. sow distrust and create misinformation.” DeMarinis added that the steps taken for reissuance of ballots “eliminates any doubt about the integrity or accuracy of mail-in voting.”.
At the same time, Trump was putting federal power behind his broader strategy. The president signed an executive order asserting more federal control over mail-in ballots. The order escalated his bid to restrict voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and is being challenged in court.
The stakes for Moore are political as well as administrative. The governor. described as the nation’s only Black governor and a potential 2028 presidential candidate. has been targeted by Trump repeatedly in recent months. Trump blamed Moore for a massive sewage spill and excluded him from a historically bipartisan governors’ meeting at the White House.
The sequence matters: Maryland election officials identified the error as a vendor problem. said re-sent ballots would correct it for affected voters. and emphasized integrity. Trump. instead of focusing on the fix. turned the incident into a catalyst for a federal investigation and renewed accusations about Democratic advantage—setting up a direct collision between state election administration and the president’s drive for federal oversight.
Donald Trump Todd Blanche Maryland mail-in ballots mail ballot mix-up Maryland State Board of Elections Wes Moore Ammar Moussa Jared DeMarinis June 23 primary executive order federal control of elections