HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Voters will head to the polls on Election Day, Nov. 3, to select candidates for local seats in Howard County and for state and federal offices in Maryland.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. that day will be allowed to vote.
Voters can also stop by an early voting center in their voting area, which runs from Oct. 22 through Oct. 29, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., each day.
Related:
Voters do not have to use their regular Election Day polling place during early voting; they can vote at any early voting center in their county. On Election Day, however, they must use their assigned polling place.
Residents who are not registered to vote can do so online by Oct. 13 here. People wanting to vote but aren't registered can do so at an early voting center or on Election Day. They must bring proof of residence, which could be:
To vote by mail, a resident must request a mail-in ballot from the State Board of Elections or the local board of elections. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked or placed in a designated ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters can request a ballot online, by mail, drop box or fax. Submit online requests by Oct. 27 to have the ballot mailed to you, or by Oct. 30 to download and print the ballot yourself.
To have a ballot mailed to you, the election office must receive your request by mail by Oct. 27; to download and print your ballot, submit your request by Oct. 30.
Howard County has five early voting centers, which will be open Oct. 22-29 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
Howard County has 10 drop box locations:
Maryland voters will consider several top-level statewide leadership offices that include:
Attorney General
Comptroller
Attorney General
Comptroller
To see who is running for lieutenant governor, attorney general, Congressional seats, Senatorial seats, House of Delegates, and judges, click here.
At the county level, voters will decide races that include:
Here are some of the candidates running for office at the county level.
Howard County Executive
Howard County Council, District 1
Howard County Council, District 2
Howard County Council, District 3
Howard County Council, District 4
Howard County Council, District 5
Judge of the Circuit Court, Circuit 5
Howard County State's Attorney
Howard County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Howard County Register of Wills
Howard County Sheriff
Howard County Board of Education
*Indicates incumbent
Howard County voters will find two questions on their ballots this fall. Below are the charter amendments voters will consider.
Question A: Changing Words In The County's Rulebook
This question asks whether the county should replace words such as "he" and "she" with gender-neutral words like "they" and "them."
Question B: Helping Pay For Lower-Cost Homes
This question asks whether the county should have another way to help pay for lower-cost homes.
Right now, the county can use its budget for major building projects to help pay for these housing projects only if the county owns them.
The change would let the county use that money for certain projects owned by the Howard County Housing Commission or a group it controls. The homes must be for sale, not for rent.
The county would borrow money for the projects and pay it back over time, usually 20 to 30 years. The homes would have to remain affordable during that time.
Note: You can check the status of mail-in or provisional ballots online.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Columbia Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.