LG Miller draws criticism after saying ballot mistakes ‘happen in almost every election’

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Maryland’s mail-in ballot mistake is drawing renewed criticism after Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller appeared to downplay the issue, saying errors happen “in almost every election.”

The controversy stems from a vendor error that forced the Maryland State Board of Elections to send replacement ballots to more than 500,000 voters ahead of the state’s June 23 primary election. Election officials said some voters received ballots for the wrong political party because of a coding error during the ballot production process.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Miller addressed the situation, saying, “Sometimes ballots get mailed the wrong way. It happens in almost every election.”

The comments immediately sparked criticism from Republican lawmakers, including Del. Kathy Szeliga, who said the state is failing to treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves.

“What we’re hearing from the Wes Moore administration is a very flippant response to a very serious problem going on with our election,” Szeliga told FOX45 News.

Szeliga argued that public trust in elections is at stake.

“Our democratic republic is built on the public trusting our election process, and we need the Department of Justice to come in and straighten things out,” she said.

The Maryland State Board of Elections has maintained that the problem was caused by a vendor error and not misconduct. Election officials said voters who already received a ballot before May 14 should use the replacement ballot instead.

Meanwhile, Miller also said she does not believe the ballot issue was intentional, but Del. Szeliga said those comments warrant an apology.

“Aruna Miller should immediately apologize for that,” Szeliga said.

FOX45 News reached out to Miller’s office for clarification regarding her comments. In response, a spokesperson did not directly address Miller’s remarks but said the SBE identified the issue was with the vendor, and “corrective measures were taken immediately.”

“Maryland’s election safeguards worked as intended, and Marylanders should continue to rely on the State Board of Elections for accurate information about voting and the election process,” Rachel Sawicki said via statement, director of communications for Lt. Gov. Miller.

The ballot mix-up has also drawn attention from Washington. President Donald Trump has called for a Department of Justice investigation into the issue, while a congressional committee has requested information from Maryland election officials. The DOJ has also asked the state to preserve records related to the ballot error.

Meanwhile, Szeliga said the incident will fuel renewed efforts by members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus to push for voter identification requirements and voter roll reviews during the next legislative session.

“As a member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, we advocate for ID to vote and [are] asking the Department of Justice to come in and verify our voter rolls,” she said.

Del. Szeliga isn’t the only one criticizing Miller’s comments. Secure the Vote Maryland, an election watchdog group, argues the issue isn’t necessarily with the mistake from the vendor, rather the response.

The group “calls on the Moore Administration and the State Board of Elections to sop dismissing this crisis and start fixing it before canvassing begins [June 1], before valid votes are lost, and before Maryland voters are forced into court to vindicate rights that state officials should be protecting without prompting.”

“Mistakes happen. Illegal responses to mistakes are a choice,” the group continued.

The Maryland State Board of Elections continues to urge voters to use only their replacement ballot and says multiple safeguards are in place to ensure every voter can cast only one ballot and that duplicate votes are not counted.

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