Wicomico residents to face two-page ballots in Nov. election

The sheer bulk of the ballot this year is almost unheard of in Wicomico County, according to election officials.

The ballot, which is two-pages long, includes the candidates in the running and 11 questions.

County election director Anthony Gutierrez says the questions are put together by the state and county, such as a proposed amendment to the county charter and a local referendum about how the board of education is chosen.

“It’s certainly going to be much longer than what voters are used to,” says Gutierrez.

Residents 47ABC spoke to admit questions on the ballots are not always easy to understand.

“It is confusing if you don’t keep up with the political arena,” says Salisbury resident Gertrude Brown.

Gutierrez explains election judges are there to clear up confusion but not about the content on the ballot, because they’re not allowed to. It’s a statewide policy that election judges can only answer questions about the mechanics of voting.

The policy is an effort to avoid accidentally influencing voters, so he recommends hitting the polls on election day already familiar with the contests and questions.

“Another recommendation we have is to pre-mark that sample ballot or any other guide that they want to bring with them, that way when they get their official ballot at early voting or at the polls, they’re simply transferring that information over to the ballot,” Gutierrez explains.

For residents like George Bivens, he prepares by asking friends and family about questions he’s unsure about.

“My grandfather always told me the only dumb question is a question that’s not asked,” explains Bivens.

The deadline to register for Maryland residents is 9 p.m. Tuesday.