BALTIMORE — A request for an emergency order to delay the start of mail-in ballot counting in Maryland has been denied by the Special Court of Appeals, allowing election officials to begin counting as soon as Saturday although many said they would not.
In a one-paragraph order issued late Thursday, Judge Douglas R.M. Nazarian struck down an effort by Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox to put a hold on ballot counting as he appeals a lower court ruling allowing the process to begin Saturday.
The Maryland State Board of Elections asked for the early start to ballot counting to accommodate a deluge of mail-in ballots that are expected to be cast this fall. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant sided with the board last week, agreeing that the situation constitutes an emergency.
