Washington County’s top election officer alerted the public and press last week that county voters will see an error in a sample ballot packet sent out to educate voters on their options to vote in the gubernatorial primary election on June 23.
The primary election lets members of political parties narrow down candidates running for various political offices, and pick which candidate will be on the ballot for the general election in November.
According to Washington County Election Director Barry Jackson, the sample ballot packet was meant to encourage voting in the primary election, which historically has low voter turnout. The packet included information about the various ways voters can cast ballots in June – through Mail-In voting, Early Voting in person at county centers or on June 23 at the county’s voting precincts.
Jackson said the Washington County Board of Elections mailed over 92,000 sample ballot packets to eligible voters who had not requested a Mail-In Ballot for the Gubernatorial Primary Election.
An error was discovered on the second page of the sample ballot, Jackson said.
Under the “You have 3 ways to vote” section, the second way to vote says “Vote on Election Day November 5.”
The correct date is June 23, 2026.
“Historically, the Gubernatorial Primary has the lowest turnout of any of the statewide elections. We want to increase voter turnout, not impede it. We want to ensure that all voters understand that June 23 is the correct Primary Election date, not November 5,” Jackson said.
As of May 31, there were over 103,000 registered voters in Washington County. Over 11,000 of those voters requested Mail-In Ballots. The remaining 92,000 were mailed sample ballot packets, showing voters what their ballot will look like, where their Election Day polling place will be, and their options for voting in the 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election.
This county voter packet error follows trouble with a mailed ballot from the State of Maryland that included a printing error. The state sent out nearly 500,000 replacement ballots to voters who had received the incorrectly printed mail-in ballots.
Anyone with questions about how they can vote in the June 23 primary election can contact the Washington County Board of Elections by calling 240-313-2050 or going to their new website at https://washingtoncountymdvotes.gov/
