Election Alert: Maryland Absentee Ballot Deadline Is Tuesday

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Besides casting your ballot at an early voting site, Maryland residents who can't make it to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 8, have one day left to apply for an absentee ballot. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Election officials are encouraging residents to vote early, which can help ease lines at the polls on Nov. 8 and allow residents to vote at the time that best matches their schedules.

Not everyone can make it to the polls on Election Day. Whether you are out of town for work or that perfect vacation, or simply unable to get out, you can vote by Absentee Ballot. It’s a simple process and should take only a couple of minutes, says the League of Women Voters.

The advocacy group says you must follow these steps to get an absentee ballot in Maryland:

1. Apply for your Absentee Ballot online no later than Nov. 1.
2. After you fill out the ballot, be sure to sign it. You must sign your ballot for your vote to be counted.
3. Return your ballot no later than Election Day to the Board of Elections.

Voters can also cast their ballots from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Thursday, Nov. 3, at early voting sites. To find early-voting locations in your county, see a list of the 2016 general early-voting sites (PDF).

While Maryland is not a battleground state in the presidential race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump, there are many state and local races on the ballot, including electing a United States senator to replace the retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski, other members of Congress and state legislators. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

If you missed the voter registration deadline last month, good news: You can still register to vote at an early voting site. To register and vote during the early-voting period, go to an early-voting center in the county where you live and bring a document that proves where you live. This document can be your MVA-issued license, ID card, change of address card, paycheck, bank statement, utility bill or other government document with your name and new address.

The state will use a paper-based, digital image scan voting system; voters will mark their selections with a pen on paper ballots prior to inserting them in the scanner for tabulation. For more election information, visit the Maryland State Board of Elections’ website at http://elections.state.md.us.

And the question of taking selfies at the polls has been a topic of online conversation recently.

According to state law, no technology devices are allowed in polling places, so taking cell phone photos of a completed ballot in a Maryland polling place is banned. It is permissible, however to take a photo of a ballot before mailing one in. Members of the media can photograph ballots, but they cannot take images that show how someone votes.

Donna Duncan with the Maryland State Board of Elections says generally speaking the state ban on use of electronic devices becomes somewhat of an issue every election. But there's not much officials can do to prevent cell phone selfies in the voting booth. Local officials will act if they notice behavior that is disruptive, or if there is a complaint at the polls.

“There are signs posted in the polling place that say no technology devices in polling places,” Duncan said.