$688K Grant Awarded To HoCo To Offset Election Costs

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The county has received a COVID-19 response grant of $688,226 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life to help with increased costs expected during the upcoming general election due to the coronavirus pandemic. The grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life comes from a $400 million donation from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg to promote "safe and reliable voting" across the nation and provide board of elections officials with additional funds for staffing, training and equipment necessary to "ensure a fair and equitable election," the county noted.

The Howard County Board of Elections will utilize the funds to offset the growing election judge and staffing costs of running a 50 percent mail-in election and in-person voting simultaneously. The grant also will be used to pay for PPE to be used during the election, including masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and plexiglass shields for the judges in the polling places and masks for any voter that does not have one upon entering.

“This year’s general election is one of the most important and consequential in our lifetimes with the additional complications of keeping our voters safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said . “I am thankful that our board of elections under the leadership of Guy Mickley sought out and received this grant that will help greatly offset the increased costs of staffing and personal protective equipment."

According to the Center for Tech and Civic Life, more than 2,100 jurisdictions from across the nation applied for the competitive grants so far. The grant will cover certain 2020 election expenses incurred between June 15 and Dec. 31, which includes the costs associated with the safe administration of certain election responsibilities. The grant covers the recruitment and hiring of enough poll workers and inspectors, providing voting facilities with funds to compensate for increased site cleaning and sanitization costs, and delivery of updated training for current and new poll workers administering elections in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Howard County Board of Elections has been laser focused on the health, safety and efficiency of conducting this challenging general election. This grant will greatly assist our efforts and thank the Center for Tech and Civic life for these much needed funds,” Guy Mickley, Howard County Board of Elections director, said. “To face the multitude of challenges of this year’s election, costs are much higher, and this grant will help offset the cost to the Howard County taxpayers. We recommend that all voters make a plan to vote this election, encourage absentee and early voting and be aware that this year’s general election will be very different and could consist of longer lines and potential delays in counting the vote.”

Early voting in Maryland begins Monday and runs through Nov. 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., at five locations throughout Howard County. Additionally, nine drop boxes are available across the county for voters to cast their absentee ballots. All mail-in ballots also will be counted if postmarked by Nov. 3. On Election Day Nov. 3, 17 Howard County poll locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Any Howard County voter can vote any poll location for early voting and Election Day voting.

See more:

Howard County Voter Guide 2020: Deadlines, How And Where To Vote