Early Voting Under Way In Anne Arundel: Locations, Issues

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Early voting began Oct. 25 in Anne Arundel County for the 2018 general election, and voters can vote in person or by absentee ballot. To vote in person, voters who live in Anne Arundel County may vote before election day at a designated early voting center or on election day at the polling place for their residence.

Early Voting

Early voting centers will be open for voting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Thursday, Oct. 25, through and including Thursday, Nov. 1. If you vote early, you cannot vote on election day or by absentee ballot.

The early voting centers in Anne Arundel County are located at:

• Odenton Regional Library, 1325 Annapolis Road, Odenton, MD 21113
• Glen Burnie Regional Library, 1010 Eastway, Glen Burnie, MD 21060
• Severna Park Community Library, 45 West McKinsey Road, Severna Park, MD 21146
• Roger “Pip” Moyer Recreation Center, 273 Hilltop Lane, Annapolis, MD 21403
• Edgewater Community Library, 25 Stepneys Lane, Edgewater, MD 21037
• Crofton Community Library, 1681 Riedel Road, Crofton, MD 21114
• Anne Arundel County Board of Elections, 6740 Baymeadow Drive, Glen Burnie, MD 21060

County voters may cast their ballots at any one of the designated early voting centers. A list of early voting locations can be found at:elections.maryland.gov/voting/documents/2018_Early_Voting_Centers_web.pdf

Voter registration for the general eection is closed. If you want to register to vote or update your address, you can do this during early voting. Go to an early voting center in the county and bring a document that proves where you live. This document can be your MVA-issued license, ID card, or change of address card, or your paycheck, bank statement, utility bill, or other government document with you name or new address.

Residents will choose a governor, members of the Congressional delegation, and local races including county council, county executive and school board. Anne Arundel residents will also decide three local ballot questions. They are:

Question A: To amend the Anne Arundel County Charter to require notice by posting on a subject property pursuant to requirements found in the County Code before amending a comprehensive zoning ordinance to include a zoning change request made to the County Council and not proposed or reviewed by the Office of Planning and Zoning before introduction of the comprehensive zoning ordinance.

Question B: To amend the Anne Arundel County Charter to restrict the County Council’s ability to increase the minimum value of purchases and contracts requiring full competitive bidding from $25,000 to an amount not less than $25,000 and not greater than $50,000 and to require that the award of contracts greater than $5,000 and less than the minimum dollar requirement for full competitive bidding shall be awarded through a simplified competitive process except as otherwise provided by law; and to require that the County Purchasing Agent shall cause to be published on the Anne Arundel County website all awards of contracts through the full and simplified bidding processes for capital improvements, contractual services, professional services, or supplies of $5,000 or greater awarded by the County in accordance with the Anne Arundel County Code.

Question C: To amend the Anne Arundel County Charter to require that the County Auditor receive a copy of any report related to employee theft or fraud in the County and to permit the County Auditor to inspect the records relating to the report and forward any exception to the findings of the fraud investigation to the County Council and the County Executive.

Election Day Voting

Voters who prefer to vote on election day can vote on Tuesday, November 6. On election day, polling places will be open for voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.. To avoid delays, voters should try to vote between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Where Do I Vote?

On election day, county voters should vote at their assigned polling place. Voters can find their assigned precinct by looking at the voter notification card they received from the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections or by clicking the Find Your Polling Place link at elections.maryland.gov. Voters who have moved but have not updated their address with the County Board of Elections should search for the polling place for their new address or contact the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections. It is important for voters to vote in the polling place for their new address, because only those contests for which voters are eligible to vote will be counted.

How Do I Vote?

Maryland elections are conducted with a paper-based voting system. Voters will cast votes by marking and scanning paper ballots. Most voters will use a pen to mark a paper ballot by hand and voters unable to mark a ballot by hand will use a ballot marking device. All voters will insert their marked paper ballots into a scanner.

Instructions will be available to help voters familiarize themselves with the ballot and how to vote. Voters may also ask an election judge to explain how to vote on the voting system, but a voter must vote alone, unless the voter is unable to do so because of disability, inability to write, or inability to read the ballot.

For absentee and provisional voting, voters are issued a paper ballot. Absentee voters who choose to receive their ballot electronically print their own paper ballot to mark by hand. Voters fill in the oval next to each candidate and ballot question response they select.

An online ballot marking tool is also available. Using the tool, voters mark their ballot using their computer, then print their paper ballot and return it by mail. At the Board of Elections, absentee ballots are fed into a scanning unit which reads and tabulates the selections made by voters. All provisional ballots and absentee ballots are reviewed in a public meeting after the election and counted or rejected according to state law and regulation.

How Can I Get an Absentee Ballot?

Voters may request to receive their absentee ballot by mail, electronically, or by fax.

Visit elections.maryland.gov/voting/absentee.html to request an absentee ballot. The deadline to request a mailed or faxed absentee ballot is Tuesday, October 30. The deadline to request an electronic absentee ballot is Friday, November 2. Voters who request an electronic absentee ballot will be notified by email that their ballot is ready for download, then instructed to enter unique identifying information before printing their ballot, voting instructions, and return envelope template.

Visit elections.maryland.gov/voting/absentee.html for more information.Voted absentee ballots may be delivered to the County Board of Elections by 8:00 pm on election day, November 6, 2018, or mailed on or before election day and received by the local board by Friday, November 16, 2018.

All absentee ballots are reviewed, regardless of whether or not the absentee ballots will impact the outcome of an election

What is a Provisional Ballot?

Voters can visit elections.maryland.gov/elections/2018/index.html for more 2018 election information or contact the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections at 410) 222-6600 or the State Board of Elections at 1-800-222-VOTE (8683).

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