MD Election Results: What To Expect On Election Night 2020

MARYLAND — When it comes to canvassing for mail-in and absentee ballots, Maryland was the first state in the country to begin the process. The Free State started Oct. 1 for the Nov. 3 election.

The results will not be released until polls have closed and all people in line have voted on Election Day, according to Nikki Charlson, deputy administrator at the Maryland State Board of Elections.

"Election night we anticipate releasing three sets of results," Charlson said on WYPR's Midday show this week.

"Once voting is over, we will release the results from early voting, we will release the results from the mail-in ballots that have been counted before Election Day, and then later in the evening we will release the results from Election Day," Charlson said.

More than 1.5 million Marylanders requested a mail-in ballot for the November election, the Maryland State Board of Elections reported Monday, Oct. 19.

Ballot Rejection: Lateness Is The Biggest Issue

"Far and away, the late ballot is the primary reason ballots get rejected," Charlson said on WYPR.

Election officials hoped the installation of ballot drop boxes around the state and the mailing of ballots early would lead to "less ballots rejected," according to Charlson.

Aside from lateness, the second most common reason ballots are rejected — "but very far behind," Charlson said — is "the oath is not signed."

To remedy that, local boards of elections have been contacting people by phone or letter to enable them to correct the issue by adding a signature and having their ballots counted.

In Maryland, state election officials said nearly 35,000 ballots were rejected during the primary. Of those, authorities said more than 30,000 ballots were received late and more than 3,000 did not have signatures.

You Can Still Get A Mail-In Ballot

To request a mail-in ballot online, people must have a Maryland driver's license or MVA-issued ID. Requests for mail-in ballots online must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

"After the deadline, you can still get a mail-in ballot," Charlson said, "but you have to go to your local board of elections — so your ability to do it remotely ends."

Through Election Day, people can get a mail-in ballot in person at their local board of elections, where they will be asked to fill out a form with their name, address and other information, Charlson said; there is no need for a government-issued ID.

Ballots must postmarked on or before Nov. 3. Mailed ballots must be received by the local board of elections by 10 a.m. on Nov. 13.

People can also drop off their mail-in ballots at any of the 284 ballot drop boxes, which are open 24/7 around the state, until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

"Those are collected at least daily by local election officials," Charlson said.

Voting In Person

Those who vote by mail cannot vote in person.

People can vote in person at any of these early voting centers around Maryland from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 26, to Monday, Nov. 2.

Dozens of voting centers will be open on Election Day — from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Goucher Poll found 51 percent of voters it surveyed planned to vote in person, during early voting or on Election Day, while 48 percent planned to vote by mail or ballot drop box.

Election Night Across The Country

As of Tuesday, the United States Election Project was reporting more than 35 million ballots have been cast so far nationwide, including states where early voting has begun.

While Maryland is already counting mail-in ballots ahead of its early voting period, a handful of states do not allow ballots to be tallied until Election Day, including battleground states Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Because of the influx of mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reports the chances are increasing that Americans will not know the winner of the 2020 presidential race on Nov. 3.

Related:

• Patch Poll: Mail-In Voting Worries In MD, 23% Plan To Vote In Person Nov. 3
• MD Election 2020: How To Get Mail-In Ballot
• U.S. Attorney Taps Veteran Prosecutor In MD To Monitor Election Fraud, Voter Intimidation
• MD Voters Split On In-Person Voting: Goucher Poll