The Maryland State Board of Elections has announced that today’s unofficial voter turnout of more than 161,000 was the highest single-day early voting turnout in the state’s history. The total surpassed the previous unofficial single-day early voting record of 143,494 set on the final day of early voting in the 2016 general election.
“We’re extremely pleased that Marylanders are turning out in record numbers to exercise their right to vote,” said Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Linda Lamone. “Today’s record-setting total is in addition to the more than 1.6 million voters who requested a mail-in ballot and the roughly 830,000 who have already submitted them. We are equally pleased that nearly 1,000 people took advantage of same-day registration today in order to cast their ballots.”
A county-by-county breakdown of the turnout, along with an unofficial statewide total turnout figure, will be posted when available in the Maryland State Board of Elections online press room under the “2020 Presidential General Election Reports” heading.
Early voting will continue until Monday, November, 2 2020, with in-person voting is also available on Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
Early voting centers and Election Day vote centers will be following the approved health guidelines with all voters being required to wear a mask and maintain a distance of at least six feet between other individuals.
“We encourage Marylanders who would like to vote in person to continue to take advantage of early voting,” Lamone said. “While many Marylanders have, and continue to, cast their votes using mail-in ballots, voting early is one way to reduce lines and limit wait times at vote centers. The best time to vote in person is on a weekday between 10:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m.”
Voters who have already requested a ballot should vote the ballot they receive in the mail. Voters simply complete the ballot, sign the oath on the postage-paid return envelope that accompanies the ballot, seal the envelope and submit it by mail or at an approved ballot drop box location.
Voters may not “trade in” their mail-in ballot during early voting or on Election Day, nor can they scan their mail-in ballot at an in-person vote center. If a voter has already requested or received a mail-in ballot and wants to vote early, the voter will have to cast a provisional ballot. This ballot will be held until election officials confirm the voter did not also return a mail-in ballot. This process ensures only one ballot per voter is counted.
Voters may drop off a mail-in ballot at an early voting center, but the ballot must be properly sealed in the return envelope that accompanied the mail-in ballot. Voters must sign the oath on the return envelope in order for the ballot to be counted.
