@BryanRenbaum
The coronavirus pandemic has complicated the in-person voting process and the Maryland State Board of Elections advised Monday to try and make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.
The advice includes wearing masks, practicing social distancing, double-checking polling locations, following weather forecasts, trying to vote between 10 a.m. t0 2 p.m, and, if voting later-to be in line by 8 p.m. at the latest. Polls across the state will open at 7 a.m on Tuesday.
“It is imperative that every eligible Marylander have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote,” SBE Administrator Linda Lamone said in a statement. “Election officials across the state are prepared to keep vote centers open as long as it takes for voters who were in line by 8 p.m. to cast their ballots.”
Lamone said that those who voted before Election Day and have not yet received notification that their ballot has been counted should not worry.
“Some voters will understandably be concerned that a ballot they submitted prior to Election Day is not showing as counted on the ballot tracker by November 3,” she said. “Marylanders should be assured that, if a ballot was properly completed and submitted by the deadline, it will be counted in the election’s official results. While media outlets may ‘call’ the election on election night, that determination is not based on an official count of ballots received. Due to the nature of this election, counting will continue for some time after Election Day.”
More than 2.1 million Marylanders, which is more than half of the state’s registered voters have already cast ballots in the 2020 election. More than 850,000 voted in-person and more than 1.3 million voted by mail. More than 360,000 mail-in ballots are still outstanding. Monday is the last day for early voting.
While Maryland is not considered in play in the presidential race, several important initiatives are on the state’s ballot this year. One would legalize sports betting and another would give the General Assembly the authority to add items to the state’s budget provided that those items do not exceed the spending ceiling imposed by the governor.
Recent Comments