When will my Maryland general election mail ballot arrive?

Published 10/3/2022 6:00 a.m. EDT

7/7/22—A State of Maryland official ballot drop box sits outside the Southeast Anchor Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library on the first day of early voting in Maryland’s Primary Election.
7/7/22—A State of Maryland official ballot drop box sits outside the Southeast Anchor Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library on the first day of early voting in Maryland’s Primary Election. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)

The schedule of when mail ballots are going to be counted this fall may be in legal limbo, but the schedule for sending them out to voters has not changed.

More than half a million Maryland voters have asked to be sent ballots this fall, and by the time it’s all said and done, more than 1 million Marylanders might vote with mail ballots. These ballots are generally returned to elections officials through the postal service or ballot drop boxes that will be set up.

If you’ve already requested a mail ballot, you can expect to see it soon.

Ballots went out in the mail this past week to voters who’ve requested them in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Calvert Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Somerset and Worcester counties, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. They’ve also already been sent to military and overseas voters.

Here’s the schedule for mailing ballots to the remaining parts of the state:

  • Monday: Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Prince George’s counties.
  • Tuesday: Baltimore City and St. Mary’s, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico counties.
  • Wednesday: Baltimore County.

The Board of Elections says it can take up to five days for ballot packets to arrive at a voter’s home once they’ve been mailed.

If you want a mail ballot but haven’t requested one yet, don’t worry. You’ve got plenty of time.

If you’re registered to vote, you can request to have a ballot delivered to you by mail or fax (yes, some people still use faxes) until Nov. 1. You can request a ballot be emailed to you up until Nov. 4.

The request can be made online if you have a Maryland driver’s license or identification card. You also can go to your local elections board and fill out a paper form.

Marylanders do not have to give a reason to vote with a mail ballot, which used to be called an absentee ballot.

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Voters who signed up for their mail ballot online will be sent an email with a link so they can track the progress of their ballot. And no matter how you return the ballot, it must be postmarked or in a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com