• The November 3, 2020 election message is to “Stay Safe, Stay Home and Vote by Mail” because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on voters and election workers.

• Vote by Mail applications were mailed on August 24, 2020.  Ballots will be mailed beginning September 24, 2020.  Unlike for the Primary Election, a ballot will not automatically be sent to you. You must request a vote by mail ballot . After completing your application and receiving your ballot, voters are strongly encouraged to return their ballot as soon as they receive it.

• The two best methods for returning your Vote by Mail ballot are placing your ballot in the United States Postal Service mail, using the postage prepaid return envelope that you will be provided or placing  your return envelope and ballot in one of the County’s drop boxes, described below. On-line ballots do not include a postage paid envelope.  Voter will need to add postage.

• Do not wait until the last minute to return your ballot, please.  You are strongly encouraged to mail the voted ballot no later than October 27, 2020 to allow the US Postal Service time to deliver the mail in time. Ballots must be postmarked no later than the date of the election, November 3, 2020 .

• You must be registered to vote for President of the United States or other offices on the ballot in Maryland.

• There will be Early Voting from October 26, 2020 through November 2, 2020, as discussed below.

• There will be Vote Centers on Election Day on November 3, 2020, as discussed below.

• Same Day Voter Registration is available at Early Voting and Election Day sites.  Proof of residency is required for same-day registration.

Yes, you do need to request a ballot.  Vote by Mail applications were mailed to every voter who had not already requested a ballot on August 24.  You can apply now at:
https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/onlinemailinrequest/InstructionsStep1

Voters who have moved, who are temporarily away from home, or who have not received a Vote by Mail application by Friday, September 8, 2020, should visit the voter lookup tool of the Maryland State Board of Elections or text CHECK to 77788 to verify their information and request a ballot .

We will mail your ballot to the address you list on your application.  To confirm your mailing address, visit the voter lookup tool of the Maryland State Board of Elections or text CHECK to 77788. If you have changed your address, we will send you a new ballot. You must update your address by October 13, 2020.

Once you complete your Vote by Mail ballot application, it may take up to 10 days for our office to receive the Vote by Mail application and process it. Using the online application process for Vote by Mail takes several days off the time it takes to deliver a Vote by Mail ballot to your requested address.  If you do not receive your ballot within 10 days of your request after October 1, 2020, visit the voter lookup tool on the Maryland State Board of Elections’ website or text CHECK to 77788 and click on the link to request a replacement ballot. 

No. You will only receive one ballot, unless your voter registration changes or you ask for a replacement ballot to be issued.

Yes, you will be offered a Provisional Ballot that is held until the second Wednesday after the election so staff is able to determine that one voter did not cast two ballots. The Provisional ballot will be counted if the mail-in ballot was not returned. This process at the voting locations is a lengthy process and the voter should expect to dedicate an hour or more of their day to voting in this manner and to bring identification.

There is no difference. 

It is recommended that you use a black or blue ballpoint pen. DO NOT use pencil, marker or crayon.

It is critical to sign your name to the oath and date your signature on the back of the return voted ballot envelope.  Sign only the envelope; do not sign the ballot .  Mark the ballot with a black or blue ink pen.  Mail the ballot by October 27, 2020 or deliver it to a drop box by November 3, 2020 by 8:00 P.M. to ensure your vote counts.  Postage is prepaid when you return a voted ballot envelope to the Elections Board.  Web delivery ballots require postage on the envelope .

Instructions will be provided with your Vote by Mail ballot. After you sign and date the voter oath, place the ballot in the return envelope. You can simply drop it in the mail. We encourage that it be completed and mailed by October 27, 2020. No postage is necessary with the US Mail return ballot envelopes, or if you bring your ballot to a drop box. If you request your ballot electronically and choose to return it using the US Mail, you must pay for postage.

If you prefer, you may use the 24 hour drop box at the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 18753 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Again, voters are strongly encouraged to return their ballot via the Post Office or drop box as soon as you have received it.   DROP BOXES ARE NOT INSTALLED AT EARLY VOTING OR VOTE CENTER LOCATIONS TO DATE, A LIST OF THE LOCATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED WHEN INSTALLED.  Once they are installed, voters may drop off their ballot at any time at one of the drop box locations until 8:00 p.m. on November 3, 2020.
 

If you return your ballot by U.S. Postal Service, it must be postmarked by November 3, 2020. Do not wait. Placing your ballot in the postal stream on November 2 or 3 may result in it being postmarked November 4, 2020. If this occurs, your ballot will be rejected as untimely.

If you return your ballot to the Board of Elections drop box at 18753 N. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland, or at one of the additional drop boxes that will be established at the Early Voting and Vote Center locations, your ballot must be deposited before the polls close by 8:00 p.m. on November 3, 2020.

You can find the nearest Post Office here . No postage is necessary. .

Information on the status of your ballot is available using the voter lookup tool of the Maryland State Board of Elections or by texting CHECK to 77788. 

Yes. Early voting will be available for the 2020 Presidential General Election. The Early Voting hours are from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM beginning October 26, 2020 and  through November 2, 2020. The eleven early voting locations are listed below:

• Activity Center at Bohrer Park
• Damascus Community Recreation Center
• Executive Office Building
• Germantown Community Recreation Center
• Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center
• Marilyn Praisner Community Recreation Center
• Mid-County Community Recreation Center
• Potomac Community Recreation Center
• Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department (The Ballroom)
• Silver Spring Civic Building
• Wheaton Library & Community Recreation Center

In-person voting will be limited and is intended only for those voters who cannot vote by mail. If you must vote on Election Day, you will be able to vote at any one of our eleven Early Voting Centers, at any Montgomery County Public High School or at selected additional locations. You will be able to vote at:

• Albert Einstein High School
• Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
• Clarksburg High School
• Colonel Zadok Magruder High School
• Damascus High School
• Gaithersburg High School
• James Hubert Blake High School
• John F. Kennedy High School
• Montgomery Blair High School
• Montgomery County Conference Center at No. Bethesda Marriott
• Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center
• Northwest High School
• Northwood High School
• Paint Branch High School
• Poolesville High School
• Quince Orchard High School
• Richard Montgomery High School
• Rockville High School
• Seneca Valley High School
• Sherwood High School
• Springbrook High School
• Thomas S. Wootton High School
• Walt Whitman High School
• Walter Johnson High School
• Watkins Mill High School
• Wheaton High School
• White Oak Community Recreation Center
• Winston Churchill High School

No, you may go to any Montgomery County Public High School, Early Voting center or the Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center or White Oak Community Recreation Center or the Montgomery County Conference Center at No. Bethesda Marriott to vote on Election Day.

If you prefer to vote from home, you may find it convenient to request a web delivery ballot and use the online tool provided by the State Board of Elections to help you mark your ballot. The tool is compatible with most common software used by individuals with disabilities, and you can use your own assistive devices with this tool.

If you are assisted by another person, they may not suggest how you should vote and may not be your employer or an officer or agent of your union and must sign a Certificate of Assistance and return it with your ballot.

Ballot marking devices will also be available at the Early Voting and Election Day Vote Centers that offer an audio ballot with a headset and keypad, high contrast and large print functions and other features designed to allow voters to cast a ballot privately and independently.

Voters who can vote by mail are asked to participate in mail-in voting to help avoid long lines and to protect the health and safety of those who must vote in person.

Paper voter registration forms are available at the Board of Elections office located at 18753 N. Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg MD 20877 or by calling the Board of Elections’ office at 240-777-8500.

Paper voter registration applications are also available online in the following languages: 
English
Español
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Korean

Voters may also request a ballot by sending a signed letter to the Board of Elections indicating their name, date of birth, and updated name, party affiliation and/or address information.

The deadline to register to vote, or to change your residential address or party affiliation, is Wednesday, October 13, 2020. To verify your voter registration, visit the voter lookup tool of the Maryland State Board of Elections or text CHECK to 77788.

Please confirm your mailing address using the voter lookup tool of the Maryland State Board of Elections or text CHECK to 77788 before requesting a ballot.

If you do need to request a ballot, the deadline to request a ballot by mail is Tuesday, October 20, 2020.

If you have a printer and the necessary postage available to you to print your own ballot from home and mail it in, the deadline to request a web delivery ballot is Tuesday, October 20, 2020. If you request a web delivery ballot, you will receive a login and password to print your own ballot and must pay for your own postage to return it.  The State Board of Elections will resolve your issues at 800-222-VOTE.

Ballot applications are not being mailed to inactive voters because voters are only considered “inactive” in the State of Maryland if their mail is returned undeliverable or if
another state notifies us that you have moved.

If you are concerned that your voter registration may be inactive, visit the voter lookup tool of the Maryland State Board of Elections or text CHECK to 77788 and verify your address. If your address has changed, please update it immediately.  You can also apply for a ballot at 
https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/onlinemailinrequest/InstructionsStep1

There is no federal or state law that prohibits individuals collecting other voters' voted ballots and delivering them to a local board of elections, a ballot drop off location or a mailbox.  State law establishes a process for appointing someone to pick up and deliver a ballot to a voter, but this process does not apply to just returning voted ballots to a ballot drop location.  Prohibiting someone from returning other voters' voted ballots would require action by the Maryland General Assembly.

Yes. However, the voter registration deadline is October 13, so few voters should need to take advantage of same-day registration. As a public health measure, the Montgomery County Board of Elections asks that voters register prior to Election Day so that you can receive and return your ballot by mail. Same Day Voter Registration will be available at Early Voting and all Election Day Vote Centers. 

The Board of Elections is taking all of the same safeguards to protect against fraud that we do for every election. All systems are designed to make sure that each voter has the opportunity to vote one and only one ballot. Any allegation or evidence of fraud will be investigated and referred for prosecution. If you see or hear of any attempted voter fraud, contact the Office of the Attorney General at 410-575-6300 or En Espanol 410-230-1712 or 1-888-743-0023 toll free in Maryland or via TDD at 800.735-2258

The Board of Elections is taking all of the same cybersecurity safeguards that we do for every election. The State Board of Elections has invested significant funding in securing the statewide voter registration system, including features for ballot request and delivery. The election will not be certified for several weeks after Election Day to allow time to conduct audits, investigate complaints, and make sure every eligible vote is counted. 

The Montgomery County Board of Elections is recruiting for voters to be trained as Election Judges to conduct the November 3, Presidential General Election. You can sign up to work in the election here . 

The Montgomery County Board of Elections is recruiting voters to serve as canvass workers to process Vote by Mail ballots and Provisional ballots. You can sign up to serve as a canvass worker here .

You do not need your voter registration card to vote. However, if you wish to request one, you may do so using the voter lookup tool of the Maryland State Board of Elections or by texting CHECK to 77788.

Information from the Maryland State Board of Elections about the November 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election can be found here . Information from the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services regarding COVID-19 can be found here .