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Voting in Maryland

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Maryland:

Click here for more information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, post-election auditing practices, and additional election policy context.

For information on elections happening this year, click here.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, to register to vote in Maryland, one must be a United States citizen and Maryland resident who is at least 16 years old. Although a 16-year-old can register to vote, he or she cannot vote in an election unless he or she will be 18 at the time of the next general election (i.e., 17-year-olds are permitted to vote in primary elections, so long as they'll be 18 by the time of the corresponding general election).[1]

Maryland allows same-day voter registration during the early voting period and on Election Day.[1]

Voters may register online, by mail, or in person at one of the following locations:[1]

  • Local board of elections
  • The State Board of Elections
  • Local Department of Health office
  • Maryland Department of Human Services local offices
  • Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) offices
  • Local Area Agency on Aging offices
  • MTA Paratransit Certification Office
  • All public institutions of higher education
  • Recruitment offices of the U.S. Armed Forces
  • Marriage license offices
  • Offices for students with disabilities at all Maryland colleges and universities


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Maryland, all polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[2]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Maryland does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases.[3]

A voter will be asked to show ID in the following circumstances:

  • The voter registered by mail and did not provide proper identification;
  • The voter’s identity is challenged; or
  • The voter registers to vote during early voting or changes his or her address during early voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of October 2024. Click here for the Maryland Attorney General's voting information page to ensure you have the most current information.

“
  • A Maryland Driver's License or other Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) issued identification
  • A student ID card that contains a photo
  • An employee ID card that contains a photo
  • A passport or other government issued ID,

OR, if you do not have those forms of ID:

a utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck that shows your name and address and is less than 3 months old. If you are showing ID because you are voting for the first time, your name and address on the document must match the information on the voter registration roll.[4]

”

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Maryland permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.


Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Maryland. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee/by-mail.[5]

To receive an absentee/by-mail ballot in the mail, an application must be submitted by at least seven days prior to the election, whether by mail, in-person, or by fax or email. To print an absentee/mail-in ballot at home, the application must be received by 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day.

A returned absentee/mail-in ballot must then be postmarked on or before Election Day if submitted by mail and received by 10 a.m. on the tenth day after the election. Ballots can also be returned in person until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.[5]


Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony

As of August 2024, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights upon release from prison and are eligible to register to vote. This does not apply to people convicted for buying or selling votes, whose voting rights are restored only by the state governor's pardon.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[6]


Election administration agencies

Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Maryland can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Maryland Local Boards of Election

Click here for a list

Maryland State Board of Elections

Physical Address: 151 West Street, Suite 200
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 6486
Annapolis, MD 21401-0486
Phone: 410-269-2840
Toll free: 800-222-8683
Fax: 410-974-2019
Email: info.sbe@maryland.gov
Website: http://www.elections.state.md.us/

Secretary of State

16 Francis St.
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Phone: 410-974-5521
Fax: 410-974-5190
Email: dlWebmaster_sos@maryland.gov
Website: https://sos.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Maryland State Ethics Commission

45 Calvert Street, Third Floor
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Phone: 410–260–7770
Toll free: 1–877–669–6085
Fax: 410–260–7746
Email: Jennifer.Allgair@Maryland.gov
Website: http://ethics.maryland.gov/

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov
Website: https://www.eac.gov


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See also

Elections in Maryland


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Introduction," accessed April 18, 2023
  2. ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Rules and Information for Voters," accessed April 18, 2023
  3. ↑ Maryland Attorney General, "Voting FAQ," accessed April 13, 2023
  4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Mail-in Voting: Information and Instructions for the 2024 Elections," accessed September 27, 2024
  6. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
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