Republican nominee for Maryland governor opposes step to count mail-in ballots earlier

Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox, has hit out at Maryland officials’ legal action which would allow local election workers to count mail-in ballots earlier, a move which officials have said will significantly reduce any delays in results being issued.

Mail-in ballots have increased in popularity since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and under Maryland law, they can only be opened beginning two days after Election Day.

Close to 33% of Maryland’s ballots for the recent primary were mailed in and this caused a plethora of delays in some races being called. Due to this, the four-member Maryland State Board of Elections voted unanimously last week to present a petition to a Circuit Court that would allow election to staff to commence counting the ballots before Election Day. Results would not be released until after all polls are closed.

Cox released as statement expressing his concerns about results being released before the end of voting.

“Ensuring no early tallying of votes as they arrive for a month before Election Day protects the integrity of the vote while it is in progress – keeping it completely secret until the close of all polls – and protects the election itself for all parties and candidates, whether Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters alike,” Cox said.

Cox confirmed that while he strongly “opposed” the idea, he declined to say whether he would get involved in the legal process. His spokesperson has also not commented on whether Cox would be formally involved in any legal matters.

The spokesperson of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has confirmed he “strongly supports” the board of election’s decision.

Democrat Wes Moore, who is running against Cox in the race to replace Hogan this year, stated in an interview with reporters on Friday that the ballots should be processed “as soon as they can.” Moore said there is no reason for Cox to raise issues with this process.

“This takes place everywhere else around the country, and it is done in a safe and transparent fashion,” Moore said. “Maryland would be no different.”