As I am sure you are all aware this year is a major election year, beyond the upcoming presidential election Frederick County residents will be voting on two U.S. Congressional elections, a Circuit Court judge, and membership on the Frederick County Board of Education.
Additionally, there are three ballot questions, one for the Maryland State Constitution and two for the Frederick County Charter.
The upcoming election on November 8 is extremely important, and so I encourage you all to register to vote and make sure you go vote on election day. With that in mind, I’d like to provide you with information on how to register to vote, how to check your voter registration status, how to locate your polling place, how to access a sample ballot and what to expect on election day.
First and foremost, if you have not registered to vote yet I strongly encourage you to do so. You may register to vote online or via the mail before October 18. You may also register to vote in-person at a Maryland Early Polling location up to November 3. The easiest method is online registration, which requires your MVA issued ID, Learners Permit or Driver’s License number. The online service also allows you to change your address, request an absentee ballot and switch party affiliations. If you would prefer to register by mail you may download a voter registration application (also available in Spanish) complete it and then mail it to the Maryland State Board of Elections at P.O. Box 6846 Annapolis, Maryland 21401-0846. This must be mailed prior to October 18. Finally, if you wish, you may register in person. You can bring the mail-in form or you may pick one up at the MVA, located at 1601 Bowmans Farm Rd. This must be filled out and brought to any of the four early voting centers in Frederick County. You must also bring valid State issued photo ID and a utility bill or other proof of address. The early voting centers are located at the Frederick Senior Center (1440 Taney Avenue Frederick, MD), Thurmont Regional Library (76 East Moser Road Thurmont, MD), Urbana Regional Library (9020 Amelung Street Frederick, MD) and the Middletown VFD Activities Building (1 Fireman’s Lane Middletown, MD). These centers can accept your registration and allow you to vote via early voting from October 27 through November 3. These centers will not be open on election day.
Now that you’ve submitted your registration and allowed a few days for it to be processed, you should check the status of your voter registration. While certain information is not critical for the upcoming election (party affiliation for example), it’s imperative that the Board of Elections has your accurate address and name on file so that you can report to the correct polling location and vote on the correct ballot. You may check your registration at the Maryland Board of Elections Website. You will need to provide your full name, date of birth and zip code. While you are at this site, you can obtain information about your polling place, see what districts you are a part of, who your current representatives in the legislative bodies are, check the status of an absentee or provisional ballot and view a sample ballot. I strongly suggest familiarizing yourself with your representatives and doing independent research on any ballot questions. While I am all for telling you how to exercise your right to vote, I am not in the business of telling you what to vote for.
You’ve registered to vote, you know where your polling place is, you are familiar with the ballot and now just need to know how to vote and what the rules are at polling locations. Polling locations in the State of Maryland open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. You must vote at your assigned polling location. The upcoming General Election will utilize the new Election Systems & Software EVS 5.2.0.0 voting system. There are two ways to vote using this system. In most cases you will be issued a pre-printed paper ballot that looks like the sample ballot you obtained from the Board of Elections website. You will mark your selections on this ballot and then insert it into one of the scanning machines.
Alternatively, if you require assistive technology to vote, you will use an ExpressVote ballot marking device. This device has a touch screen interface and will produce a printed ballot to insert into the scanning machine. The Board of Elections has provided an instructional video for using the ExpressVote ballot marking device.
If you are a first time voter who registered by mail, the election judge may request valid identification. This can be either a MVA issued photo ID, a U.S. Passport, a valid student ID card, a valid military ID card, any other valid state or federal government-issued ID, a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or any other government document that shows your name and address. “Current” is defined as at most three months old for utility bills, bank statements or other government issued documents.
It’s important to know what is and is not permitted at the polling location. You may not utilize a cellular phone, digital camera, analog camera or other electronic devices while in the polling location. You may bring in any paper or printed materials, including a pre-marked sample ballot to assist you in voting. You may wear campaign buttons or other politically themed attire, but you must leave the premises immediately after casting your vote. You may, in general, electioneer (campaign for or against a candidate or ballot issue) outside of the no electioneering zone, which is generally 100 feet from the polling location.
While exit polling is permitted, you are not required to disclose your vote to anyone. You are not required to provide proof of eligibility to anyone besides the voting judge, either due to the aforementioned first time voting or if a third party challenges your identity. The state also permits accredited election watchers and challengers, but they are prohibited from talking with voters or assisting voters.
Additional rights and protections are outlined at the American Civil Liberties Union website and if you feel like you have experienced any violation of your voting rights you can contact the Maryland State Board of Elections at (800) 222-8683 or the ACLU of Maryland’s Election Protection Hotline at (888) 496-ACLU.
