Mail Voting Stressed By Pittman, Gives Coronavirus Election Plan

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Americans will elect the next president in 76 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.

At a Wednesday morning press conference, County Executive Steuart Pittman layed out this year's four voting options. 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 prevent universal ballot mailing this time around. He instead requires the state Board of Elections to send every Maryland voter an absentee ballot application.

The board will start 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.

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. He conceded on Monday, however, allowing the Board of Elections to operate about 20 percent of its usual 1,900 voting locations.

That means that only 28 of Anne Arundel County's usual 195 polls will be open on Nov. 3. Despite the heavy push for absentee voting, Pittman believes every Maryland voter should be mailed a ballot.

"We’ve done some good work to flatten that curve," Pittman said. "But we face another challenge, which is that our election office is not allowed to send out ballots to voters at this time."

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 have already applied to vote by mail. 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 facing a shortage of 147 election judges. More than 600 people have applied to fill those vacancies, but 30 to 40 more workers drop each week, citing coronavirus concerns.

With an average age of 62, election staffers are especially vulnerable to the virus. People aged 60 and up account for 20 percent of Anne Arundel County's 7,782 coronavirus cases. The same age group comprises 91 percent of the county's 219 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 29 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. Boxes will open on Oct. 1. The election director asked the state for approval to start counting ballots the same day. 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 will start mailing out absentee ballot applications on Aug. 24. Anne Arundel County voters can request their ballot earlier at the link below.

Those interested in voting absentee must apply before Oct. 20. They can drop their ballot at one of 29 secured boxes starting Oct. 1. 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. Early voting will take place at seven sites from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. between Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.

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

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