Howard County Voter Guide 2026: Drop Boxes, Early Voting, Polling Sites

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:

• Maryland Voter Guide: Governor, Congress And Redistricting On The Ballot
• Moore And Cox Bring Heat To Debate, But Will It Alter The Race?

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:

• your MVA-issued license, permit, ID card
• change of address card
• your paycheck
• bank statement
• utility bill
• other government document with your name and new address

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.

Early Voting Locations

Howard County has five early voting centers, which will be open Oct. 22-29 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:

• The Bain Center, Rooms 1, 2 and 3, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia
• Gary J. Arthur Community Center, gym, 2400 Route 97, Cooksville
• Meadowbrook Athletic Complex, gym, 5001 Meadowbrook Lane, Ellicott City
• North Laurel Community Center, gym, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel
• St. John Baptist Church Community Center, 9055 Tamar Drive, Columbia

Ballot Drop Boxes

Howard County has 10 drop box locations:

• Bain 50+ Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia
• Elkridge 50+ Center, 6540 Washington Blvd., Elkridge
• Gary J. Arthur Community Center, 2400 Route 97, Cooksville
• George Howard Building, 3430 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City
• Howard County Board of Elections, 9770 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 200, Columbia
• Howard County Scaggsville Police Department, 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel
• Meadowbrook Athletic Complex, 5001 Meadowbrook Lane, Ellicott City
• North Laurel Community Center, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel
• St. John Baptist Church, 9055 Tamar Drive, Columbia
• West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department, 12535 Old Frederick Road, Sykesville

Statewide Races

Maryland voters will consider several top-level statewide leadership offices that include:

Governor

• Wes Moore (D-incumbent)
• Dan Cox (R)
• Andy Ellis (Green)
• Cathy White (Working Class Party)

Attorney General

• Anthony Brown (D-incumbent)
• James B. Rutledge III (R)

Comptroller

• Brooke Lierman (D-incumbent)
• Sonya Dunn (R)

• Wes Moore (D-incumbent)
• Dan Cox (R)
• Andy Ellis (Green)
• Cathy White (Working Class Party)

Attorney General

• Anthony Brown (D-incumbent)
• James B. Rutledge III (R)

Comptroller

• Brooke Lierman (D-incumbent)
• Sonya Dunn (R)

To see who is running for lieutenant governor, attorney general, Congressional seats, Senatorial seats, House of Delegates, and judges, click here.

County Races

At the county level, voters will decide races that include:

• County executive
• County Council or Commissioners members
• State's attorney
• Clerk of the Circuit Court
• Register of wills
• Judges of the Circuit and Orphans' courts
• Sheriff
• Members of the Democratic or Republican central committees

Here are some of the candidates running for office at the county level.

Howard County Executive

• Vanessa Atterbeary
• Nater Kane

Howard County Council, District 1

• Kevin Chin

Howard County Council, District 2

• Jessica I. Nichols

Howard County Council, District 3

• Christiana Rigby*

Howard County Council, District 4

• Janssen Evelyn

Howard County Council, District 5

• Cat Carter
• Ryan P. O'Connor

Judge of the Circuit Court, Circuit 5

• Maurice C. Frazier*

Howard County State's Attorney

• Rich Gibson*

Howard County Clerk of the Circuit Court

• Jen Terrasa

Howard County Register of Wills

• Byron E. Macfarlane*

Howard County Sheriff

• Marcus Harris*

Howard County Board of Education

• Mark E. Covington
• Linda Frascarella
• Lanlan Xu

*Indicates incumbent

Additional Measures On The Ballot

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."

• Vote for: Change the words.
• Vote against: Keep the words as they are.

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.

• Vote for: Let the county use its budget for major building projects to help pay for these homes.
• Vote against: Keep the current rules. These projects would need another funding source.

Dates To Keep In Mind

Note: You can check the status of mail-in or provisional ballots online.