Some MoCo early voters report receiving ballots with circles for Democratic candidates already filled in

The record turnout for early voting in Montgomery County has been been the headline in local media, but a more troubling story hasn't been covered. Montgomery County Republican Central Committee Chairman Michael Higgs has received "multiple eyewitness reports" that some early voters were provided with paper ballots that had already been filled out, with only Democratic candidates selected.

"These pre-filled ballots did not merely have a stray mark or two, they were completely filled-out for the entire Democrat slate of candidates, with the bubbles neatly and completely filled-in," Higgs wrote to County Election Director Margaret Jurgensen. He is calling for an immediate investigation.

"Are we seeing a small slice of a larger campaign to stuff the ballot boxes? Is there a rogue individual in your midst attempting to unduly influence the election? Only a thorough and public investigation will help to ensure the voters that they are not being disenfranchised by nefarious actors attempting to steal the election," Higgs wrote.

Local blogger Adam Pagnucco had already reported on a different problem prior to this one - being given the ballot for a different Congressional district from the one he lives in when he voted early in Wheaton. The report of pre-filled ballots came just two days after Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh held a news conference about "fraud" in Maryland elections.