The one-week period for in-person early voting begins at 7 a.m. Thursday. Every county in Maryland has at least one early voting center, and more than likely more than that depending on a jurisdiction’s population.
The early voting centers for each county in Maryland can be found on the State Board of Elections website, includé en español. The number of early voting centers is tied to the number of registered voters in a county. For example, Washington County, with more than 100,000 registered voters, has three early voting centers, while Wicomico County, with about 66,000 registered voters, has two.
Any person who is registered to vote, or eligible to register to vote, may vote during early voting after registration has been confirmed. Last week, the State Board of Elections sent postcards to approximately 750,000 Marylanders who were not registered to vote, informing them that they can still register and vote during early voting, scheduled for Thursday, May 2, through Thursday May 9, or on Election Day, scheduled for Tuesday, May 14.
“Registering to vote is the critical first step to ensuring your voice is heard in this year’s primaries,” Secretary of State Jared DeMarinis said in an April 24 news release. “We encourage every eligible Marylander to locate their local polling place or polling place and bring the necessary documentation to register and exercise their right to vote.”
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How to register to vote during Maryland’s early voting period
To register to vote during the early voting period, the State Board of Elections website instructs you to visit an early voting center in the county where you live between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. during early voting week and to bring a document that proves where you live.
“This document can be your MVA-issued license, ID card or change of address card, or your paycheck, bank statement, utility bill or other government document showing your name and new address,” the website says. “You can register to vote and vote.”
More than 150,000 Maryland residents have already voted by mail in the primary election ahead of the first in-person voting on Thursday. More than a third of mail-in ballots sent by local election boards in Washington and Wicomico counties have already been received, according to an April 25 report on the State Board of Elections website.
Which offices are on the 2024 primary ballot in Maryland?
Generally, the primary ballot includes selections for: President of the United States, U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress, and delegates to a party’s convention (often with the name of the presidential candidate the delegate has pledged to support at the underlying convention ).
Other positions on the ballot may include selections for: Circuit Court Judge and Board of Education. A copy of the ballot for your jurisdiction can be found online at the State Board of Elections website. Sample ballots have also been sent to voters in some Maryland jurisdictions.
More: The presidential primaries are next month in Maryland, and here’s what you need to know
Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative journalist covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: The early voting period begins this week. Find out where you can vote and more.
