Cox’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the ruling. Cox, a freshman delegate from Frederick County, previously committed to accepting the results in his race against Democrat Wes Moore if the rules were not changed, saying that relief sought by the State Board of Elections after a bruising primary cycle marked by delayed results would sow mistrust in the system and that such changes should be enacted by the legislature, not by a court during the height of campaign season.

Maryland Democrats, meanwhile, launched a campaign earlier in the day casting Cox’s stance as dangerous to democracy, focusing on his denial of the 2020 presidential election results.

“Dan Cox’s decision to file an appeal against the court’s ruling regarding the counting of mail-in ballots isn’t a surprise by any means,” Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis said at a news conference before the Court of Special Appeals panel released its ruling. “It’s straight from his cult leader’s playbook of deny and delay.”

Most recently, Cox, who has described the 2020 presidential election as “stolen,” would not commit to accepting the results of the governor’s race during a forum at Morgan State University on Tuesday night.

“I believe very firmly in making sure that our system works. I don’t believe in changing the rules midstream,” he said. “I don’t believe in making a system that creates questions. I don’t believe in losing our chain of custody with mail-in ballots. I don’t believe in failure to assert and verify that it’s actually voters voting.”

The tumult comes amid a backdrop of heightened focus nationally on so-called election integrity, a term that rose to prominence in the wake of former president Donald Trump’s defeat and ensuing campaign to cast doubt on President Biden’s victory. Across the country, more than half of GOP candidates running for positions with significant roles in overseeing future elections in battleground states have disputed the validity of the 2020 election.

Experts warn that having election deniers in roles with that power could bring chaos to presidential elections — potentially delaying results, undermining confidence in the electoral process system and heightening division.

In Maryland, while the governor does not play a direct role in administering elections, Democrats are still raising Cox’s fight against early voting and his election denial as a threat to democracy — and as a way to point voters to Moore.