As a civic duty and right to those who are eligible, voting is an important role for citizens to participate in to elect officials who represent their values. Voting is a crucial element to the democratic process on the local, state, and federal level. At University of Maryland Global Campus, we support our students through providing information and tools to help them fulfill their civic duty of voting.
Volunteer on Election Day
Election volunteer opportunities are available in Maryland and out-of-state. Many of these opportunities are paid. Learn how you can sign up to work the polls on Election Day in Maryland or out-of-state.
Maryland Voting FAQs
As a Maryland resident, you can learn more about the voting options available to you. Get answers to questions about voter registration, process, deadlines, mail-in voting, and more.
Election Day is Tuesday, May 14, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- To vote in person on Election Day, go to your assigned polling place.
Early voting will be available from Thursday, May 2 through Thursday, May 9, 2024 (including Saturday and Sunday), from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Vote early at any early voting center in your county (see list in Spanish)
First, read about Maryland voter registration eligibility on the state board of elections website. This page also has information about eligibility to vote in Maryland if you are a U.S. citizen living overseas or are in the military.
Use Maryland's Online Voter Registration System (OLVR) to register to vote in Maryland or submit a voter registration application in person at a number of different locations.
You can also register to vote in-person during early voting and on election day. To prove where you live, bring your MVA-issued license, ID card, or change of address card, or your paycheck, bank statement, utility bill, or other government document with your name and address.
You can check if you’re registered to vote in Maryland on the state's Board of Elections website.
Any registered voter may vote by mail-in ballot. You do not need an extenuating reason or circumstance to do so. It is simply another way to vote if you do not want or cannot go to an early voting center or your polling place.
There are three ways you can request a mail-in ballot:
- Online if you have a Maryland’s driver’s license or MVA-issued ID card. You can request your mail-in ballot online.
- Complete and return one of the PDF forms provided by the Maryland State Board of Elections available under the How do I request my mail-in ballot? dropdown item. Read the instructions, enter the required information, print the form, sign it, and return it to your local board of elections. You can return it by mail, fax, or email (scanned as an attachment).
- Go to your local board of elections and fill out and turn in the form.
As soon as possible, but no later than the deadlines provided below. The earlier you request your mailed ballot, the more time you have to return it by Election Day.
2024 Presidential Primary Election
The deadline depends on how you want to receive your ballot.
- If you want to receive your ballot by mail or fax, your request must be received (not just mailed) by Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
- If you want to receive your ballot via the internet,* your request must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, May 10, 2024 for a request sent in the mail, or by 11:59 p.m., Friday, May 10, 2024 for a request sent by fax or submitted online.
- If you hand deliver your request and the ballots are ready, you can pick up your mail-in ballot. You may take your mail-in ballot with you and return it by mail or you can vote it at the local board office and give it to an election official. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot in person is Election Day, May 14, 2024. Please visit your local board of elections' website for hours of operation.
- If you miss the deadlines to receive your ballot by mail, fax, or via the internet, but still want to vote by mail-in ballot, you or your agent must apply in person at your local board of elections.
* Please note that a ballot received via the internet must still be returned by hand, by mail, or dropped at a ballot drop off box.
Under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, military voters and voters who live outside the U.S. can vote by mail-in ballot. If you are a military voter or live outside of the U.S., learn more about absentee voting in the military or from abroad.
You can choose to receive your mail-in ballot by mail or email. If you choose to receive your ballot by email, you will receive an email with a link that will allow you to print and mail your ballot.
After completing your ballot, you must mail or hand deliver it. You cannot submit your voted ballot online, by email, or by fax.
2024 Presidential Primary Election
- First Class Mail - U.S. Postal Service: We are urging all Marylanders to return their ballots as soon as possible due to potential delays with USPS. Your ballot comes with a postage-paid return envelope, so submitting your ballot by mail is free. Your ballot must be postmarked on or before May 14 for the Presidential Primary Election. Putting your ballot in a mailbox on election day does not mean it is postmarked that day.
- Ballot Drop Boxes: Marylanders can use a ballot drop box to return their mail-in ballot. View the 2024 Presidential Primary Election ballot drop box locations in Maryland (see list in Spanish). Ballot drop boxes will be open until 8 p.m. on May 14 for the Presidential Primary Election.
If you have specific questions, please contact your local board of elections or the State Board of Elections.
Track your ballot online on the Maryland Board of Elections website.
If for some reason you don't receive your ballot or are not able to fill it out and return it on time, you may cast a provisional ballot in person on Election Day. This ballot will not be counted until nine days after Election Day, upon verification that you only cast one ballot.
In Maryland, if you vote in person, you will fill in a paper ballot by pen. Election workers will be there to help you scan in your vote and assist with any questions. You must, however, cast your vote alone unless you are unable to do so due to a disability or you are unable to read or write in English.
Visit the state's Board of Elections website to get more information about Maryland voting rules and regulations.
In order to vote in Maryland on Election Day, you must be a Maryland resident who is registered to vote. If you are not a Maryland registered voter, you should plan ahead to request an absentee ballot from your home state by their set deadlines. Find out further information on how to request a mail-in ballot in your home state.
If you are at home on Election Day, in the state where you’re registered to vote, you may vote there on Election Day. Find out more information about Election Day in your state.
Additional Maryland & General Voting Resources
Out-of-State Voting FAQs
Learn about the voting options available to you as an out-of-state resident. Find sources of information about voter registration, process, deadlines, mail-in voting, and more.
Learn how to register so you can vote in federal, state, and local elections.\
You can also check to see if you're registered to vote in your state.
The voter registration deadline varies by state. Learn about your state's registration process.
Find your state's locations and dates for early and Election Day voting.
If you will not be in your home state on Election Day, you should plan ahead to request a mail-in or absentee ballot from your home state by their set deadlines. You can also check your state’s early voting period to see if you would be in your home state to vote then.
Find out how to request a mail-in ballot in your home state.