Maryland

Election Day voting hours are 7:00 am – 8:00 pm Eastern Time.

On Election Day, voters must vote in person at their assigned Election Day polling place.

Use the Voter Location Lookup to search for a voter’s assigned polling place by address. Registered voters who have not moved can also find their polling place using the Voter Lookup tool.  
During Early Voting, voters can vote at an early voting center in the county where they live. When available, a voter will be able to access a list of early voting centers on their Voter Lookup or through their local boards of election.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Maryland if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of Maryland
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in Maryland if:

• You were convicted of buying or selling votes
• You are in prison or jail for a felony conviction
• A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

Conviction of buying or selling votes results in permanent loss of voting rights.

You may preregister to vote in Maryland

• At the age 16

How to register 

• Maryland Congressional, State and Gubernatorial Primary Election
  • Submit a Printed Application: Postmarked by Tue Jun 2, 2026
  • Submitted by Tue Jun 2, 2026 5:00PM
  • Apply Online: Online by Tue Jun 2, 2026 11:59PM
  • Last Date to Change Party Affiliation by Tue Jun 2, 2026
  • In Person: Election Day Registration & Voting Tue Jun 23, 2026
• Maryland Congressional, State and Gubernatorial PGeneral Election
  • Submit a Printed Application: Postmarked by Tue Oct 13, 2026
  • Submitted by Tue Oct 13, 2026 5:00PM
  • Apply Online: Online by Tue Oct 13, 2026 11:59PM
  • In Person: Election Day Registration & Voting Tue Nov 3, 2026

Maryland has same-day registration. Voters can register at any early voting center or at their assigned polling place on election day. They must submit proof of residency.

Voters can pre-register to vote online, in person, or via mail. 

• Voters with a Maryland Driver’s License or state ID can register to vote online here:
• Voters can download and print a voter registration application in English, Spanish, Amharic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese. Once printed and completed It can be submitted, with an original signature, to the local board of elections or the State Board of Elections by mail or by hand delivery. 
• Voters can also complete voter registration in person at various government offices, including local board of elections offices, Motor Vehicle Administration offices, all public institutions of higher education, all recruitment offices of the U.S. Armed Forces, and local Area Agency on Aging offices. 

Residents may register at age 16 but may not vote until they are 18, except that when they are 17, they may vote in a primary for a general election that will occur after they are 18.
There is no specific length of time a person must be a Maryland resident before they can register to vote. The full registration procedures are outlined in the Voter Registration Introduction.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• By Email
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Maryland Congressional, State and Gubernatorial Primary Election

Ballot Request:

• Request for Postal Ballot by Tue Jun 16, 2026
• Request for Fax Ballot by Tue Jun 16, 2026
• Request for Email or Online Ballot by Fri Jun 19, 2026
• In-Person Request by Tue Jun 23, 2026

Ballot Return:

• In-Person, Received by Tue Jun 23, 2026 8:00PM
• Received in Dropbox by Tue Jun 23, 2026
• Postmarked On or Before Election Day and Received by Fri Jul 3, 2026

Maryland Congressional, State and Gubernatorial PGeneral Election

Ballot Request:

• Request for Postal Ballot by Tue Oct 27, 2026
• Request for Fax Ballot by Tue Oct 27, 2026
• Request for Email or Online Ballot by Fri Oct 30, 2026
• In-Person Request by Tue Nov 3, 2026

Ballot Return:

• In-Person, Received by Tue Nov 3, 2026 8:00PM
• Received in Dropbox by Tue Nov 3, 2026
• Postmarked On or Before Election Day and Received by Fri Nov 13, 2026

Early Voting

• Early voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from the second Thursday through the Thursday before an election (June 11, 2026 – June 18, 2026 for the June 23 primary).
• Anyone eligible to vote may do so during early voting.
• Voters can vote in an early voting center in the county where they live. When available, a voter can access a list of early voting centers on their Voter Lookup or through their local boards of election.  

Mail-in Voting

• Voters do not need a specific reason to vote by mail.
• Voters can request a mail-in ballot in 3 ways
  • Online with a Maryland driver’s license or state ID;
  • Filling out a paper application: English, Spanish, Amharic, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, or Vietnamese (mail and email addresses and fax numbers for submitting a request for a mail-in ballot are available here and in the application); or
  • Going in person to their local board of elections office to fill out the application 
• Mail-in ballots can be returned in 3 ways:
  • By hand to a ballot drop box: by 8 pm on Election Day. Ballot drop box locations are included with the mail-in ballot from the voter’s local boards of election.
  • By hand to (1) the local board of elections prior to the close of polls on Election Day, (2) to an early voting center during early voting, or (3) an Election Day polling place by 8 pm on Election Day.
  • By mail. It must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the local board of elections by 10 am ten days after Election Day (July 6, 2026).
  • Voters can check the status of their mail-in ballot applications and their ballots on the state’s voter look-up website.

General Information

• Early Voting 
• Mail-in Voting

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Maryland you should provide one of the following:

• Your Maryland Driver’s License Number
• Your Maryland ID Number
• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting In-Person

If you registered to vote in Maryland, you may be required to present valid ID if you are voting for the first time or your registration is incomplete. You can use any ID from this list:

• Paycheck that shows your Current Name and Address
• Utility Bill
• Valid Employee ID
• Valid Federal Issued ID
• Valid Military ID
• Government Check
• Valid US Passport
• Valid ID Issued by the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles, Transportation, Highway Safety, etc.
• Government Issued Document that shows your Current Name and Address
• Bank Statement
• Valid Maryland Driver’s License
• Valid Student ID
• Valid Maryland Issued ID

Statements, checks and bills should be dated no earlier than 90 days before Election Day.

Voters who registered to vote or changed their address during early voting or on Election Day will need to show proof of residency.

ID may also be required if the voter’s identity is challenged.

Voters who registered to vote by mail and are voting in Maryland for the first time may need to include a copy of an acceptable form of identification either with their application for a mail-in ballot or with their mail-in ballot. Voters can check the voter lookup site to see if they have to show ID before voting. 

Voters without acceptable ID can cast a provisional ballot but must provide acceptable identification and/or proof of residence to the local board of elections by 10 a.m. the second Wednesday after the election (July 1, 2026) for their ballot to be counted.

Voters who have moved should, if possible, update their registration prior to the pre-registration deadline (21 days before the election) to reflect their new address. If they have not done so, they may still vote at any early voting site in their county or at the election day polling place for their new address.

If a voter is voting early and has not changed counties, or has moved to a different county after the pre-registration deadline (June 2, 2026), they can cast a regular ballot at any early voting center in their county if they provide proof of residency. Otherwise, they will need to vote a provisional ballot. They may also vote a provisional ballot on Election Day at the polling place for their new address or at the local board of elections in the county where the voter now resides after the close of registration but before the polls close on Election Day. 

A voter who has moved to a different county on or before June 2, 2026, can cast a provisional ballot at any early voting center in the county of their new residence or at the polling place corresponding to their new address.

If the voter moved to Maryland from another state, the voter may register at either an early voting center or at the precinct for their residence and vote a regular ballot. A voter need not be a Maryland resident for a specific period to be eligible to vote in Maryland.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Military and other overseas citizens may use the standard procedure for voting by mail, but there are also special provisions for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with family members of all these groups, and other citizens who reside outside the United States. Their address for voting purposes will be their last address at which they were registered or lived when enlisting or moving out of the country. 

Registering and Requesting a Mail-In Ballot: Military and overseas voters may register to and request a mail-in ballot in the same manner as any other voter. However, they can also complete a Federal Post Card Application (“FPCA”) and send it to the local board of elections in the Maryland county where they last resided. The FCPA allows eligible military or overseas voters to simultaneously register and request their mail-in ballot. If a voter registers with a state voter registration form, they must separately request a mail-in ballot. Note that if the voter is registering to vote for the first time, the FPCA must be mailed in (i.e., may not be emailed or faxed) as it requires an original signature.

Receiving a Mail-In Ballot: Military and overseas voters may receive their mail-in ballots by mail, email/online or fax. To request electronic transmission of the blank ballot, military and overseas voters must mark the appropriate box and provide an email address or fax number on the Federal Post Card Application.

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot: The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is a backup ballot that military and overseas voters may use if they registered and requested an absentee ballot by the request deadline but do not receive their regular ballot in time for it to be received before the return deadline. Military voters may use the FWAB whether they are located inside or outside the United States (including APO and FPO addresses), provided that they are away from their voting residence for service-related activities.

Casting a Ballot: Ballots can be mailed to the local board of elections. The envelope must be postmarked by election day and received by 10:00 am ten days after the election. For specific instructions, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website.

An individual who has been convicted of a felony and is currently incarcerated cannot vote. Once released from incarceration, even if on parole or probation, the person can vote unless the conviction was for buying or selling votes. The person will have to reregister. Individuals with misdemeanor convictions are not disqualified from voting unless they were convicted of buying or selling votes. A person convicted of buying or selling votes may not register to vote or vote even if they have fully completed their sentence.

Pretrial detainees who have not yet been convicted and persons with misdemeanor convictions are not disqualified from voting. They may apply for and cast a mail-in ballot.