SUN: Thousands of mail-in ballots remain to be counted in Baltimore County

BALTIMORE — Though initial returns have started to shape Baltimore County’s most closely watched primary races, the outcome of several contests remains uncertain as election officials work through tens of thousands of mail-in ballots.

Nearly 73,000 mail-in ballots were sent to Baltimore County voters, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. State data showed that as of 6 p.m. On Wednesday, the county had received 40,278 ballots back. Of those ballots, 33,747 were from Democrats, while 6,531 were from Republicans.

About 5,500 mail-in ballots were canvassed before Tuesday’s primary election, according to Ruie Lavoie, Baltimore County’s elections director.

By Thursday afternoon, 50 canvassers, seated in bipartisan two-person teams, filled the Baltimore County Board of Elections headquarters in Owings Mills to continue reviewing, sorting, and counting ballots, ultimately feeding them through two scanners. Lavoie said they aimed to count 10,000 ballots Thursday, with the rest to be counted Friday and Saturday. Provisional ballots, as well as original ballots that were not replacement ballots, will be counted next week.

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