President questions Maryland mail-in ballot rules after primary error

The president stated on Monday that Maryland may not be a majority-Democrat state and called for an investigation into the state's mail-in ballot system. The comments came after the Maryland State Board of Elections acknowledged sending incorrect party ballots to thousands of voters for the June 23 primary election.

Officials said replacement ballots were mailed to all affected voters regardless of whether they received an error.

Background on the ballot issue The error was first reported on Friday.

State election officials said the resending of ballots was intended to maintain voter confidence in the process. Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said the boards remain committed to running a verified, secure and accurate election.

He noted that more than 500,000 voters had requested mail-in ballots and that replacement ballots were sent to eliminate doubt about integrity.

Presidential comments on voting procedures The president said mail-in ballots are corrupt by nature because so many people handle them. He contrasted the process with in-person voting where identification was requested. The president added that proof of citizenship and voter ID should be required and described mail-in ballots as the worst aspect of the voting system.

He said he had asked law enforcement to examine the Maryland situation very strenuously.