SouthernWorldwide.com – Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller has responded to former President Donald Trump’s demand for a Justice Department investigation into an error with mail-in ballots in Maryland. Miller dismissed allegations of corruption, stating that administrative mistakes in elections are a common occurrence.
The situation arose after some Maryland voters received incorrect mail-in ballots for the upcoming primary elections. Election officials acknowledged an error made by the state’s election board. This prompted Trump to accuse Democratic Governor Wes Moore of corruptly manipulating the election process to favor Democrats.
The Maryland State Board of Elections issued a statement confirming an “error by our mail-in ballot vendor,” identified as Taylor Print & Visual Impressions (TPVI), Inc.
Trump expressed his accusations on Truth Social on May 18, stating, “This was done by the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore. He allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win.”
Lieutenant Governor Miller clarified the relationship between the administration and the board of elections. “The administration, they’re a separate body from us, the board of elections,” she said.
Read more : Popular Cruise Line's Massive Beach Park Blocked by Mexico Amidst Local Outcry
She further commented on the nature of such errors. “And it happens, sometimes,” Miller continued. “Ballots get mailed the wrong way. It happens almost in every election.”
While election administration errors have indeed occurred in Maryland, such as a voter-roll software issue in 2018, there is no public evidence to support the claim that incorrect mail ballots are a regular occurrence in “every election.”
The state elections board plans to send out new ballots to all voters who received one before May 14. They acknowledged that many voters receiving the replacement ballots may not have been directly impacted by the mistake.
The board also assured that there is “no risk of duplicate voting as a result of this issue.” They stated that the state has implemented safeguards to prevent such occurrences.
Trump had also raised concerns about how the issue would be resolved without the potential for duplicate voting. He claimed on Truth Social, “In Maryland, they sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots, and they got caught! So now, they’re going to send out 500,000 more Mail In Ballots, but nobody knows what’s happening with the first 500,000 they sent.”
He further alleged, “In addition, many of these Ballots went to Democrats, so any Republican running in Maryland doesn’t have a chance!”
Miller firmly rejected the notion that the ballot issue was intentional or a result of corruption within the state government.
Jared DeMarinis, the State Administrator of Elections, also refuted Trump’s assertion that any “illegal” ballots were distributed.
Trump had announced that he requested Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department to investigate the ballot error. However, the DOJ has not publicly confirmed the initiation of such an investigation.
Lieutenant Governor Miller also stated that she has not received any information from the DOJ regarding the scope or details of any potential investigation.
“We’ll see what the investigation shows,” Miller concluded.
