Dear Friends,
How we vote is emerging as a key problem for the November elections. Below is everything (I hope) you need to know about how to vote by mail in Maryland. The key point is: if you know you want to vote by mail in November, it’s a good idea to request a ballot NOW!
Maryland allows anyone to vote by mail for any reason. Thus, what we used to call "absentee voting" is now the same thing as "mail-in voting." All registered voters received mail-in ballots for the May primary, but that is NOT the plan for November. Instead, all registered voters will receive an application for a mail-in-ballot. Voters must fill it out and send it to the Board of Elections to be processed. If the application was filled out correctly, then the Board will send the voter a ballot.
The Board of Elections is asking people NOT to wait to receive this application in the mail, but to apply NOW. Otherwise, they could be overwhelmed with applications and have difficulty getting ballots out on time. You can request a ballot up until late October, but the Boards of Elections will be VERY busy by then!
HERE'S HOW TO REQUEST A MAIL-IN BALLOT:
1. By text: Use your phone to request a Mail-in Ballot on-line. Text 777-88. Simply write "VMB" in the text box to fill out an application form. You need a valid MD drivers’ license to use this system.
2. By computer: Use your laptop/computer to request a Mail-in Ballot, register to vote or update your registration. Go to elections.maryland.gov and follow the prompts or just click here. You need a valid MD drivers’ license to use this system.
3. By telephone: Call the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 240-777-8550 to request an application.
4. By mail or email: Registered voters may send an informal request to the Montgomery County Board of Elections. It must include the voter’s name, residence address, address to which the ballot is to be mailed, if different from the resident address, and the voter’s signature. Such requests can be mailed to PO Box 10159, Rockville, MD 20849-0159, emailed to absentee@montgomerycountymd.gov, or faxed to 240-777-8560.
5. In person: You can go to the Montgomery County Board of Elections to fill out a request. The address is 18753 N. Frederick Avenue, Suite 210, Gaithersburg, MD 20879.
HERE’S HOW TO RETURN YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT REQUEST:
On-line ballot applications made through the links above will be uploaded to the county board of elections. You can also download the application and fill it out by hand.
Mail your ballot request to PO Box 10159, Rockville, MD 20849-0159, fax it to 240-777-8560 or scan it and email it to absentee@montgomerycountymd.gov
Some Very Important FYI's:
1. If you send in a mail-in ballot request and then decide that you want to vote in person, you will have to vote a provisional ballot as the Board of Elections will have you marked as a mail-in voter.
2. The signature on your drivers' license is your official MVA signature and the one that the Board of Elections will match to the signature on your ballot request and your ballot.
3. If you decide to vote in person, early voting in Maryland is October 22-29. State law mandates 11 early voting sites in Montgomery County. Currently all polling places are scheduled to be open on Election Day, November 3, although staffing remains an issue.
4. The actual Mail-in ballots will be mailed out (or available to you electronically) about six weeks before the November election.
5. Your Mail-in Ballot can be returned by mail or dropped off at a polling place during early voting or on Election Day.
6. The Maryland Board of Elections has a helpful site for additional questions:
https://www.elections.maryland.gov/voting/absentee.html. The Montgomery County Board of Elections is also very helpful. Their website is www.777vote.org, and their phone is 301-777-8550.
If you want to vote by mail in November, please don't wait! And if you found this helpful, please share it with other Maryland voters!
Ann Humphrey
Precinct Chair, 7-24
aghumphrey@gmail.com
