The Maryland Senate Republican caucus said Thursday its members are opposed to holding a preferred mail-in election in November.
The letter to the Maryland State Board of Elections was sent after two leading Maryland Senate Democrats recommended earlier this week for the board to prepare for a “hybrid, mail-in preferred election” due to the coronavirus.
Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, and Sen. Paul Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat, made a variety of recommendations to address problems that arose in the June 2 primary, which was conducted mostly by mail with limited in-person voting. For example, additional drop-off boxes for voters to deposit ballots mailed to them and in-person early voting centers were among the recommendations.
In a preferred mail-in election, the elections board would send ballots to all registered Maryland voters.
The Republican caucus, however, cited errors and oversights in the primary.
“Thousands of ballots were undeliverable,” Sens. J.B. Jennings, a Harford County Republican, and Stephen Hershey, an Eastern Shore Republican, wrote. “Many voters called and complained that their ballots had not arrived, and then they received multiple ballots.”
People who are uncomfortable or unable to vote in person due to COVID-19 can vote by requesting absentee ballots, Jennings and Hershey wrote.
