Most Maryland residents will get their mail-in ballot for the 2022 election in their mailboxes, but many will see it come into their email inbox or spam folders. Either way, you need to make sure to get it in on time.
As of Monday, nearly 626,000 Marylanders had requested mail-in ballots. Of those, about 85,000 signed up to have their mail-in ballot emailed to them, rather than sent via postal mail.
Voters had the option when they requested their ballots.
“The theory behind it is for overseas military, expats living in other countries with a poor postal system,” said Gilberto Zelaya, with the Montgomery County Board of Elections. “So if I have relatives who are doing research on Mount Kilimanjaro, in Africa, you benefit from selecting that delivery.”
In Montgomery County, more than 138,000 voters requested mail-in ballots, with about 22,000 of them requesting emailed ballots.
Emailed ballots must be printed and mailed back to the Board of Elections with a postmark date of Election Day at the latest. They can also be dropped off in one of the many county ballot drop boxes.
If you requested a mail-in ballot and still haven’t received it, check your inbox or spam folder for an email sent from “- – -sbe@maryland.gov.” The – – – is a random three-digit number.
“For those who are doing web delivery, you must print your own voter oath and make sure it’s in your mail-in packet that you return back to the board of elections,” said Zelaya. “Because if you don’t include that, we will need to contact you to cure it. Otherwise, we cannot incorporate it into the canvass and they will not be counted.”
And unlike traditional mail-in ballots, voters will have to provide their own envelope and postage.
Zelaya also reminded voters: If you already requested a mail-in ballot, but for whatever reason have changed your mind and want to vote in person, you will have to vote a provisional ballot.
“We need to ensure that you only get to vote once,” said Zelaya.
Tuesday, Nov. 1, is the final day to request a mail-in ballot sent to you via the U.S. Postal Service. Friday, Nov. 4, is the final day to request a mail-in ballot sent via web delivery.
