How To Vote In Anne Arundel: In-Person, Mail-In Options Explained

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Americans will elect the next president in 46 days. While that may seem far away, Anne Arundel officials remind voters that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will complicate this election. The county urges residents to quickly decide how they will vote to assure their ballot is counted.

Marylanders have four voting options during this year's general election. Voters can avoid crowds by mailing an absentee ballot or dropping it off at a secured box. If residents prefer in-person voting, they can vote early or head to the polls on Election Day.

These choices are slightly different than they were for the state's primary. Because coronavirus was spreading faster ahead of the June 2 election, every registered Marylander received a usable ballot in the mail. Critics of the primary point to long lines at the few open precincts and delays in the election's results.

Gov. Larry Hogan's latest orders prevented universal ballot mailing this time around. He instead required the state Board of Elections to send every Maryland voter an absentee ballot application.

The board started mailing the request forms to all registered voters on Aug. 24. Hogan pushed for an earlier delivery date, but creating the applications and stuffing the envelopes for Maryland's 4 million voters took weeks, the board says. All Maryland voters should have their absentee application by now.

Even with mass mailing, Hogan says state law requires the Board of Elections to keep at least some polls open. He previously insisted that all the state's polling locations remain open on Election Day.

Hogan conceded in August, however, allowing the Board of Elections to operate about 20 percent of its usual 1,900 voting locations. That means that only 31 of Anne Arundel County's usual 195 polls will be open on Nov. 3.

The county still encourages residents to vote by mail. To speed up that process, the county Board of Elections asks interested voters to apply for an absentee ballot as soon as possible.

Anne Arundel County's deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot isn't until Oct. 20, but waiting until then could cause serious delays. The Board of Elections expects 168,792 of the county's 397,000 registered voters to cast absentee ballots.

More than 80,000 county residents applied to vote by mail by mid-August. Joe Torre, director of the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections, called that a "very low number."

"If I get 100,000 [applications] a couple weeks before the election, I may not be able to process them," Torre said.

On top of battling lagging absentee requests, Torre is also faced a shortage of 147 election judges in August. More than 600 people applied to fill those vacancies, but 30 to 40 more workers drop each week, citing coronavirus concerns.

Hogan intervened on Aug. 26, urging Marylanders to sign up as election judges. His efforts raked in about 11,000 potential staffers to relive the state's aging workforce. With an average age of 62, election judges are especially vulnerable to the pandemic.

People aged 60 and up account for 19 percent of Anne Arundel County's 9,504 coronavirus cases. The same age group comprises 89 percent of the county's 231 deaths.

To protect voters and shield workers, Torre's team partnered with Anne Arundel County Public Schools to open six voting sites in school gyms and cafeterias. Whereas the usual library polls can hold about 40 people while maintaining a safe distance, the school's larger areas have a socially-distanced capacity of about 250.

Those six schools, plus the Pip Moyer Recreation Center in Annapolis, will be the only early voting locations in the county. Residents can vote early at these sites from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. between Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.

For locals who prefer casting their ballot in person, Anne Arundel County health officials recommend voting early because Election Day may have larger crowds. An estimated 67,517 county residents will vote early.

"Since the state did not mail out ballots, as they did in the primary, I’m going to tell you now that we will probably have lines," Torre said, predicting that 101,275 people will vote in person on Election Day.

Voters' final two options are to vote in person on election day or drop their absentee ballot in a one of 31 secured boxes. Masks are required at all polling locations. Workers will provide masks if a voter does not have one.

The drop boxes provide a quicker alternative at the same voting sites. Cameras will monitor each box and election judges will empty them three times per day.

Every voting location will have a drop box, as will the county's Board of Elections office in Glen Burnie. The ballot drop-offs will remain open until polls close on Election Day.

Boxes were supposed to be set up by Oct. 1, but a manufacturer delay postponed the delivery of about half the boxes. Those 14 boxes will open Oct. 17. The other 17 will open on Sept. 30.

The election director asked the state for approval to start counting ballots on Oct. 1. The board of elections will tally votes live on the county's YouTube channel, as attendance is prohibited this year.

"Voting by mail or using a drop box is the safest way to vote," County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said. "When you go to vote, make sure you wear a mask at all times, keep those hands clean with hand sanitizer and maintain a 6-foot distance."

Key Dates And Information

The state started mailing out absentee ballot applications on Aug. 24. All registered Marylanders should have that form by now. Anne Arundel County voters can also request their mail-in ballot at this link.

Those interested in voting absentee must apply before Oct. 20. They can drop their ballot at one of 17 secured boxes starting Sept. 30. An additional 14 boxes will open on Oct. 17. If they return their ballot by mail, it must be postmarked by Nov. 3.

Residents must register to vote before Oct. 13. If they miss the deadline, they can register at one of the polling centers on Election Day. To find out if you're already registered to vote, head to the state board of elections website.

Early voting will take place at seven sites from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. between Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.

Residents can vote at one of 31 locations on Nov. 3.

More information on these dates, applications and locations is available here.

If you have problems voting or have additional questions, the national, non-partisan Election Protection hotline is available at:

• English: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
• Spanish: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682)
• Arabic: 1-844-YALLA-US (1-844-925-5287)
• Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, or Vietnamese: 1-888-274-8683

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Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.