MARYLAND

Election Information

Upcoming Elections

2008 General Election: 11/4/08

Voter Registration Information

The Lawyers’ Committee and its pro bono law firm partners have compiled comprehensive third-party voter registration guides for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These guides will help volunteers, organizers, and leaders navigate the complex rules that govern voter registration in each state.

Maryland Voter Registration Guide

Registration Deadlines

21 days before an election

Specific Deadlines:

2008 General Election: 10/14/08

Where to Obtain Voter Registration Form

Register Online Now
Download registration form
Your local board of elections
The State Board of Elections
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
The Department of Social Services
The Motor Vehicle Administration
Offices on Aging
The MTA Paratransit Certification Office
All public institutions of higher education
Recruitment offices of the U.S. Armed Forces
Marriage License offices

Absentee Voting

Absentee voting is allowed if the voter is:

Registered in MD
A member of the Armed Forces or a spouse or dependent of a member of the Armed forces
A U.S. citizen living overseas who will be at least 18 years of age before the next General Election and whose last residence prior to going overseas was in MD

Rules and Deadlines

Absentee ballots can be found with the board of elections and must be requested by mail by at least 4:30 pm on the Tuesday before the election or by fax by at least 11:59 pm on the Tuesday before an election.
Ballots must be returned to the county board of elections.
Ballot must be postmarked before Election Day and received by ten days after Election Day or in person by 8 pm on Election Day.

Early Voting

Identification Requirements

At registration:

Current and valid photo identification or
A current utility bill,
Bank statement,
Government check,
Paycheck
Other government document that shows the name and address of the elector

At polls, voter will be required to show ID:

If voting for the first time in Maryland,
If registered to vote by mail on or after January 1, 2003, and
If have not previously met the identification requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act

Acceptable forms of ID include:

Current and valid photo identification or
A current utility bill,
Bank statement,
Government check,
Paycheck
Other government document that shows the name and address of the elector

How to check registration

Contact your local Board of Elections

How to locate polling place

Check online here

Information for felons

Voters with one prior conviction for a felony or other infamous crime, may qualify to register to vote if they have completed all the requirements of their court-imposed sentence (including parole, probation, community service, restitution, and fines).

For more information, go to the State Board of Elections’ website.

Recent News

February 5, 2007: As members of the Maryland General Assembly and the new administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley prepare to consider changes to the state’s election system, the Maryland Election Protection Coalition is releasing a report on the problems experienced by Maryland voters during the November 2006 statewide election cycle. The Coalition’s goal is to further dialogue with elected leaders to ensure that our voting system benefits from important reforms before the next election cycle.

The report is based on hundreds of complaints from Maryland voters received by Election Protection, the nation’s largest non-partisan voter protection coalition, which operates a national hotline on and before Election Day to guide voters through the voting process.

The obstacles encountered last year by Maryland voters from long lines to deceptive practices "highlight the critical need for immediate election reform," said Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The report was drafted by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, with valued assistance from the NAACP, People for the American Way Foundation, ACLU of Maryland, the Maryland Disability Law Center, the League of Women Voters of Maryland, and the many other members of the Maryland Election Protection Coalition.

Read the report here.

September 12, 2006: The Lawyers’s Committee for Civil Rights won a lawsuit this afternoon against the Baltimore City Board of Elections that will extend polling place hours in Baltimore to 9:00 p.m. The lawsuit, NAACP v. Board of Elections of the City of Baltimore, was filed on behalf of qualified voters such as Bobby Trotter, Sr., who arrived at his polling place at 7:05 a.m. to vote but was not able to because the poll was not open.

"Given my work schedule, without this extra hour I would not have been able to return to cast my ballot," said Trotter. "I will return to vote after I finish work later today."

Lawyers’s Committee staff was first alerted to the widespread problems in Maryland through the Election Protection Hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE). The hotline received an overwhelming amount of calls from Baltimore voters experiencing a variety of problems such as: polls not open on time; voting machine problems; no back-up paper ballots; absent poll workers; and long lines. The Lawyers’s Committee filed an emergency complaint and request for relief in order to extend polling place hours.

"We are committed to fighting for the right to cast a ballot throughout our nation. Today’s victory in Maryland represents an important component of our many efforts to ensure that voters are able to exercise their right to vote," said Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee. "The high level of calls we received today seeking voter assistance is alarming and underscores the need for the Election Protection Program," added Arnwine.

Election Protection is the nation’s most ambitious non-partisan program for preventing Election Day disenfranchisement. The coalition of state and national allies seeks to ensure that every eligible voter casts a ballot that counts on Election Day.