Votes are in, but Maryland’s primary isn’t over

Thousands of Marylanders voted on Tuesday, and most races — including for governor, Congress and the State House — have a declared winner. But the primary election is technically not over yet. Election officials will comb through thousands of ballots for the next few weeks.

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next.

When do officials start counting votes again?

Election officials will begin counting the remaining votes on Thursday, starting with mail-in ballots. Marylanders who opted to vote by mail had until 8 p.m. on Tuesday to drop off their ballots. The state sent out more than 536,000 mail ballots, and if they are returned at the same rate as past elections, that could mean more than 125,000 mail votes remain to be counted statewide.

Officials will then count provisional ballots starting next week on Wednesday. People may have had to use a provisional ballot if they were not registered to vote, if they moved but did not update their address for voting or if they received a mail ballot and tried voting in person. Provisional ballots typically comprise fewer than 5% of total votes.

Which races still need to be decided?

It’s unlikely that the ballots will drastically change the results for major races, such as for governor and Congress. But the mail ballots will decide races on the local level.

The race for Baltimore County executive still hasn’t been called. Julian Jones is leading with 40.9% of the votes in the Democratic primary, tailed by Izzy Patoka at 26.5% and Nick Stewart at 19%.

Democrat Sarah David has 52.5% of the votes for the county’s state’s attorney. Incumbent Scott Shellenberger has 27%. Mail voting could shift the race, as it’s where Shellenberger made up his deficit in 2022.

The Montgomery County executive race on the Democratic side is also still undecided. Will Jawando is leading with 40.8% of the votes, followed by Andrew Friedson at 33.5% and Evan Glass at 21.6%.

Many County Council races are still not settled.

When will officials finish counting votes?

Election officials are expected to finish counting all remaining ballots by July 6. The election will then be considered finalized and the votes will be certified, pending any legal challenges.