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Like many of you, we’ve been watching closely as State and County elections officials finalize plans for voting in this fall’s general election. It’s been a unique process because of the need to protect public health during the coronavirus emergency. Despite some misleading attempts to suggest otherwise, mail-in voting remains the safest way to vote.
My goal throughout has been to ensure that Montgomery County’s voting process is as accessible, easy, and safe as possible, following the guidance of our public health and elections officials. Here’s what you need to know. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and my staff at councilmember.friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov with any questions:
Request a Mail-in Ballot
Despite our requests, ballots will not be automatically mailed to voters for the November 3, 2020 General election as they were for the Primary election earlier this year. I encourage you to request a mail-in ballot on the Maryland State Board of Elections website or via the mail-in ballot applications that the State began mailing out Friday.
To request a mail-in ballot online, in “Step 9,” the “Mail-in Ballot Request,” select “I would like to receive a mail-in ballot.”
Under “delivery type”, select “in the mail.”
The Montgomery County Board of Elections is recommending using the other “delivery types” only if you are an overseas voter or voter with a disability that makes it difficult to vote by mail. These other “delivery types,” including e-mailed ballots, require a bipartisan team of poll workers or Election Judges to review the ballot and hand-copy your choices before your votes can be counted.
If you requested a mail-in ballot online after August 6 and still received a piece of mail asking if you’d like to apply for a mail-in ballot, don’t panic and don’t request another. It’s possible you received a mail-in ballot application despite already having applied online because August 6 is the day the state’s vendor was sent the list of addresses to send mail-in applications.
You can check your mail-in ballot status right now with the State’s Voter Lookup tool. Once you’ve entered your information, click “Status of My Mailed-in or Provisional Ballots” to ensure the “Status” of your mail-in or provisional ballot is “Application Received.” (You can check back later to ensure the status of your mail-in ballot is “Ballot Sent.”)
If you already requested a mail-in ballot but don’t see your Status as “Application Received,” text “CHECK” to the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 77788 to get your mail-in ballot status.
Alternatively, you can request a mail-in ballot by mail once you receive your mail-in ballot application, which are being sent out now. If you have not received a Vote by Mail application by Friday, September 8, 2020, check the voter lookup tool on the State Board of Elections website to ensure the State has your correct information and that your voter registration is active. Again, we urge you to go online now to check your registration status and info and request a mail-in ballot.
If you’re returning your ballot by mail, you’re strongly encouraged to mail the completed ballot no later than October 28, 2020 to ensure the U.S. Postal Service has enough time to deliver the mail in time. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, November 3, 2020 to be counted and the Montgomery County Board of Elections is warning that ballots placed in the mail on November 2 or November 3 risk being postmarked November 4, 2020, meaning your ballot will be rejected as untimely.
Finally, make sure that you sign your name to the oath and date your signature on the back of the return voted ballot envelope or your ballot will be rejected.
Drop Box Locations
We pushed for an expansion of mail-in ballot drop box locations from the Primary election so residents have plenty of easy and accessible options to drop off their ballot.
We’re happy to report that the Montgomery County Board of Elections approved a drop box location plan that provides many additional sites. Secured and monitored mail-in ballot drop boxes will be available by October 1 at all County Early Voting Centers and by mid-October for all Election Day Voting Centers.
Ballots will be accepted at the drop boxes until 8 p.m. on November 3, 2020.
Drop box locations are listed below. A mail-in ballot drop box is open now at the Montgomery County Board of Elections offices at 18753 N Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20879. Additional drop box locations may be announced throughout September as more drop boxes are provided by the State.
Early Voting Centers (Drop Boxes installed by October 1)
- Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center (4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815)
- Potomac Community Recreation Center (11315 Falls Road, Potomac, MD 20854)
- Activity Center at Bohrer Park (506 S Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877)
- Damascus Community Recreation Center (25520 Oak Drive, Damascus, MD 20872)
- Executive Office Building (101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD 20850)
- Germantown Community Recreation Center (18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown, MD 20874)
- Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center (14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866)
- Mid-County Community Recreation Center (2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring, MD 20906)
- Silver Spring Civic Building (1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD 20910)
- Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Station (17921 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860)
- Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center (11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902)
Election Day Voting Centers (Drop Boxes installed by mid-October)
- Poolesville High School (17501 W Willard Road, Poolesville, MD 20837)
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (4301 East-West highway, Bethesda, MD 20814)
- Walt Whitman High School (7100 Whittier Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20817)
- Walter Johnson High School (6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814)
- Winston Churchill High School (11300 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, MD 20854)
- Montgomery County Conference Center at Bethesda North Marriott (5701 Marinelli Road, Rockville, MD 20852)
- Albert Einstein High School (11135 Newport Mill Road, Kensington, MD 20895)
- Executive Office Building (101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD 20850)
- Clarksburg High School (22500 Wims Road, Clarksburg, MD 20871)
- Colonel Zadok Magruder High School (5939 Muncaster Mill Road, Derwood, MD 20855)
- Damascus High School (25921 Ridge Road, Damascus, MD 20872)
- Gaithersburg High School (101 Education Boulevard, Gaithersburg, MD 20877)
- James Hubert Blake High School (300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring, MD 20905)
- John F. Kennedy High School (1901 Randolph Road, Wheaton, MD 20902)
- Montgomery Blair High School (61 University Boulevard E, Silver Spring, MD 20901)
- Northwest High School (13501 Richter Farm Road, Germantown, MD 20874)
- Northwood High School (919 University Boulevard W, Silver Spring, MD 20901)
- Paint Branch High School (14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866)
- Quince Orchard High School (15800 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878)
- Richard Montgomery High School (250 Richard Montgomery Drive, Rockville, MD 20852)
- Rockville High School (2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville, MD 20851)
- Seneca Valley High School (19401 Crystal Rock Drive, Germantown, MD 20874)
- Sherwood High School (200 Olney Sandy Spring Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860)
- Springbrook High School (201 Valley Brook Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20904)
- Thomas S. Wootton High School (2100 Wootton Parkway, Rockville, MD 20850)
- Watkins Mill High School (10301 Apple Ridge Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20879)
- Wheaton High School (12401 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20906)
- White Oak Community Recreation Center (1700 April Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20904)
- Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center (13850 Travilah Road, Rockville, MD 20850)
Voting In-Person
Those who don’t request a mail-in ballot will be able to vote in-person at the traditional Early Voting Centers listed above from Monday, October 26, 2020 through Monday, November 2, 2020. The Early Voting Centers will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. each day.
Because of social distancing concerns at traditional Election Day precincts, the State gave permission for each jurisdiction to consolidate Election Day polling places into larger facilities. Election Day Voting Centers (November 3, 2020) will be at the sites listed above. Additionally, all 11 of the Early Voting Centers will also serve as Election Day Voting Centers. You can vote at any of the Early Voting or Election Day Voting Centers in Montgomery County if you are registered to vote in Montgomery County.
Same day voter registration will be available at all Early Voting and Election Day sites, though we are encouraging everyone who is not registered to register by the voter registration deadline of October 13, 2020.
If you are interested in volunteering to be an Election Judge, visit the County’s Election Judge Program Overview and application page.
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