SUN: Judge denies temporary restraining order in mail-in ballot lawsuit

An Anne Arundel County judge on Thursday denied a request for a temporary restraining order that sought to require state election officials to contact voters whose original mail-in ballots were rejected and allow them to fix the problem.

In a four-page order denying the request, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Robert J. Thompson wrote that the court did not see the plaintiffs — a group of Republican candidates, a voter and an election integrity organization — as having “a great likelihood of success on the merits in this matter.”

“While most of the facts are not in dispute in this case, and while conspiracy theories abound, the court finds that the printing and distribution of erroneous ballots was an honest mistake, which, when brought to SBE’s attention, has been remedied to the extent possible,” Thompson wrote in his order.

The group took legal action against the Maryland State Board of Elections on Tuesday, less than four hours after polls opened across the state for primary election day. On Wednesday, attorneys for both sides met in the judge’s chambers to make their arguments.

Read the full story on The Baltimore Sun’s website.