By Nicole Hanson
Since its emergence earlier this year, COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of life, and the 2020 elections are no exception. Maryland’s primary elections were postponed from April 28 to June 2 and an entire election was conducted almost solely via mail-in ballots in an effort to reduce human contact and the further spread of the coronavirus.
However, the Maryland Board of Elections admitted that they were not prepared to distribute mail-in ballots to all eligible voters in time, which should have raised a red flag for voting advocates concerned about the integrity of the electoral process. This should have served as a clear indication to the train wreck the June 2 primaries would later become, as thousands of area voters were left without a voice during a time of historic proportions.