Be prepared for the upcoming November election

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the November election. With Governor Hogan’s order to mail absentee ballot requests to every household and open all of the polling places, he has essentially doubled the cost of the election and thrown some chaos into the administration of the election.

All of the local Boards of Elections have stated that they cannot meet the Governor’s deadlines, and some local Boards, like in Carroll County, have already announced that not all polling locations can open.

The situation, unfortunately, keeps changing. Therefore, I advise the following actions.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS

In case you are wondering, there are actually no differences between absentee ballots and mail-in ballots – they are the exact same document, are received the same way, and are counted the same way.

If you are concerned about voting in person, then you should request an absentee ballot. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT FOR THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO MAIL YOU AN APPLICATION. Apply for an absentee ballot online today by CLICKING THIS LINK.

Keep in mind that the form to request a ballot is the same as registering to vote (you will essentially be re-registering to vote when filling out the form). We have requested repeatedly that the Board of Elections update this process online. It is our understanding that the Department of Information Technology is working on a fix, but that it will take some time and they have not provided a timetable for completion.

RETURNING YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT

By Mail:
If you want to mail back your ballot, please complete and return it as soon as possible. As you may have heard, there have been a lot of issues with the mail. The new U.S. Postmaster General has forced a number of changes that has slowed the mail. Please allow at least 14 days round trip for your ballot to be properly delivered to you and received back by the Board of Elections.

By Dropbox:
Another great way to return your mail-in ballot is through drop boxes. There will be thousands of drop boxes set up by the Board of Elections throughout the State once mail-in ballots go out. The boxes are secured, emptied and processes daily by bipartisan Board of Elections staff, and do not have to go through the mail. Locations for Drop Boxes will be posted in time, and I will circulate that information as soon as I get it.

Tracking Your Ballot:
You will be able to see if your ballot has been sent, received, and processed by filing out the form HERE, and then clicking on “Status of My Mailed-In or Provisional Ballot.”

VOTING IN PERSON

If you still prefer to vote in person, please consider voting during the early voting between October 22nd and October 29th. You can vote at any early voting center. Find the closest center to you HERE.

If you plan on voting on Election Day itself, November 3rd, you can look up your polling place HERE. Please remember to socially distance, wear a mask, and follow all Elections personnel instructions.

Please expect long lines and please be patient with staff.

PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING AN ELECTION JUDGE

One of our biggest hurdles for in-person voting is the massive shortage of election judges. If you are healthy and feel comfortable with being at the polls, please consider becoming an election judge. You can find the application HERE.

REGISTERING TO VOTE

If you are not yet registered to vote, please do so online HERE. The deadline to register is October 13th.

If you aren’t able to register to vote by the deadline, Maryland has Election Day Voter Registration. You can show up to your appropriate voting location, and register onsite and vote on a regular ballot. More information about Election Day Voter Registration can be found HERE.