Md. advance registration deadline is October 15th | What to know

MARYLAND – Voters in Maryland have an important deadline coming up. For those planning to vote by mail, October 15th is the last day that they can participate in advance voter registration.

If mail-in voters do not register by that date, they will not be able to use their absentee ballots. Those voters would have to vote in person during early voting, or on Election Day. And, if they are not able to register by those dates, the voters can do so at the polling sites. Once voters are registered, they can cast their ballots right then and there.

State elections officials say that having a voting plan in place is crucial.

“A voting plan means taking the time to really understand the importance of it, and not pushing it off, because voting is a right, and it has to be exercised,” said Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is October 29th. DeMarinis says voters can mail the ballots, or deliver them to any of the 286 drop boxes around the state. Early voting, meanwhile, runs from October 24th to the 31st. Election Day is November 5th, with polls open in Maryland between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

DeMarinis has another important message for voters:

“There is a lot of dis- and misinformation about voting rights out there, as well as election results,” DeMarinis said. “If you see any of that stuff, come to the trusted source of information.”

For more information about voting in Maryland, click here.