BALTIMORE — Members of the Maryland State Board of Elections voted Monday to take legal action that, if successful, would allow local election officials to begin counting mail-in ballots earlier. Such a change could reduce delays seen in last month’s primary, when results were unsettled in some races for days and even weeks.
Current law only allows mail-in ballots — which have become increasingly popular with voters during the pandemic — to be opened and tallied starting the Thursday morning after Election Day. It’s the latest start in the nation to the counting of such ballots.
The four-member board, hoping to prevent delayed results in the November general election, voted unanimously to seek emergency relief in a Circuit Court so the mail-in ballot canvassing process can start earlier. The returns from those ballots would not be released until after the polls close on Election Day, which is Nov. 8.
