Maryland voting issues

Election and registration information
Throughout Maryland, polls are open continuously from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM on Election Day. Anyone in line at 8:00 PM will be allowed to vote.

Voter Registration and Polling Place Look-Up

Voter ID requirements
It depends. You will be asked to provide identification if:


 * You are voting for the first time in Maryland;
 * You registered to vote by mail on or after January 1, 2003; and
 * You have not previously met the identification requirements of the federal Help America Vote Act.

If you registered to vote after January 1, 2006, you most likely satisfied the identification requirement during the registration process. If you did not satisfy the requirement, your local board of elections will have notified you and requested information to satisfy the identification requirement. (See list below.) You can satisfy the identification requirement by providing, at the polls, one of the following:


 * Your driver's license number, MVA-issued ID card number or at least the last four digits of your social security number, and we will attempt to verify this number with MVA or the Social Security Administration. You will be contacted if election officials were unable to verify the information;
 * A copy of a current and valid photo ID (i.e., Maryland driver's license, MVA-issued ID card, student, employee, or military ID * A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address.

If you do not satisfy the identification requirement before voting for the first time, you will be required to present identification when you vote.

Provisional voting
If you are asked for identification and are unable or unwilling to provide it, you will be issued a provisional ballot. Your provisional ballot will be counted if you submit one of the following forms of identification before provisional ballots are canvassed on the 1st Monday after the election:


 * A copy of a current and valid photo identification (i.e., Maryland driver’s license or MVA-issued ID card, student, employee, or military ID, U.S. passport, or any other State of federal government-issued ID card); or
 * A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with your name and current address (the same address you provided on your provisional ballot application).

2008 election
For the 2008 election Maryland used the following voting machines. For a county-by-county list of the specific machines (and the source for this section) see Verified Voting's Verifier tool.

Direct-Recording Electronic (DRE) machines without a paper trail:
 * Diebold AccuVote TS

Governmental election authorities
State Board of Elections

Find your local Board of Elections

Street Address
 * 151 West Street,
 * Suite 200
 * Annapolis, MD 21401
 * Office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Mailing Address
 * P.O. Box 6486
 * Annapolis, MD 21401-0486

Phone Toll Free Fax Maryland Relay Service
 * 410-269-2840
 * 800-222-8683
 * 410-974-2019
 * 410-974-5415
 * 410-974-5126
 * 800-735-2258

E-mail [mailto:info@elections.state.md.us info@elections.state.md.us]

Election threats

 * For an extensive log of voting machine problems, see the VotersUnite! report on election incidents.

State and local non-governmental election organizations
League of Women Voters

LWV of Maryland, Linda B. Pierson, President
 * 106 B South Street
 * Annapolis, MD 21401-2624
 * Phone: 410-269-0232
 * Fax: 410-268-7301
 * E-mail: lwvmd@verizon.net
 * http://www.lwvmd.org

Local Leagues:
 * Allegany County
 * Anne Arundel County
 * Baltimore City
 * Baltimore County
 * Calvert County
 * Caroline County
 * Carroll County
 * Cecil County (MAL Unit)
 * Charles County (MAL Unit)
 * Dorchester County
 * Frederick County
 * Garrett County
 * Harford County (MAL Unit)
 * Howard County
 * Kent County
 * Mid-Shore, Inc.
 * Montgomery County
 * Prince George's county (MAL Unit)
 * Queen Anne's County
 * St. Mary's County
 * Somerset County (MAL Unit)
 * Talbot County
 * Washington County
 * Wicomico County (MAL Unit)
 * Worcester County (MAL Unit)

SAVEourVotes (Secure, Accessible, Verifiable Elections for Maryland)

Website: SAVEourVotes

Description : SAVEourVotes is a statewide nonpartisan grassroots nonprofit organization working for Secure, Accessible, Verifiable Elections in Maryland.

TrueVoteMD

Website: TrueVoteMD.org

Description : TrueVoteMD.org is a non-partisan, grass-roots organization of Maryland citizens who are deeply concerned about the integrity of the State's election process, mainly due to the introduction of electronic voting equipment which fails to provide voters with a printed paper record of their votes. Without this voter-verified printed ballot, there is no way to audit elections to ensure that votes are correctly recorded and counted, or to conduct a meaningful, independent recount. Through non-partisan public education, grassroots organizing, litigation, research and legislation, we are working to make Maryland's voting system accurate, verifiable, and fully transparent.

External resources
Voter Protection Laws in A Nutshell
 * Maryland Voter Protection Laws in A Nutshell