Voting in the Age of Corona

As we all know, a general election is coming up on November 3. It is very important for our community to participate in elections. Not only do elections determine the policies and direction of our city, county, state, and country; they also show our politicians that we care enough to vote, prompting them to pay more attention to our community. It is also vital to show hakaras hatov (gratitude) to those elected officials who have helped us in the past and whose actions and words show that they will be there for us in the future.

The offices we are voting for this year are U.S. president/vice president, congressional representatives (but not senators), and court judges. The City is also voting for mayor, City council president, comptroller, and City council members. In October, registered voters will receive a sample ballot in the mail with the entire list. (The deadline for registering is October 13.)

Because of the risks of Corona, our government officials have provided additional options for voting this year. The options are to vote in person or by mail-in ballot.

In-Person Voting

You may vote in person from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. Or you may go to early voting, at the same hours, from October 26 through November 2. A major change this year is that you will not go to your old precinct polling place. Instead, you may vote at any Voting Center in city/county where you reside. The locations will be sent with the mail-in ballots and will also be listed on the State Board of Elections (SBE) website. [See sidebar]

Mail-In Voting

Those who want to vote by mail must first apply for a mail-in ballot (also known as an absentee ballot). You should have received a mail-in ballot application from the State Board of Elections by mid-September. If you did not receive one, call your local board of elections or the SBE to verify whether a request form was mailed to you. It may have been lost or sent to an incorrect address. Ask the person on the phone to mail you a paper mail-in ballot application. Alternatively, go online to get one.

You can get the paper form online at the SBE or voter services websites. [See sidebar] You can also request a form via text: VBM to 777-88 and receive a link for an online request.

For security reasons, when applying online or requesting email delivery, you must give your driver’s license or state ID number and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Your mail-in ballot application must be received by October 20. To verify your application for a ballot or the status of your mail-in ballot, go to the website for voters services. [See sidebar]

Whether requesting a ballot via written application or online, it is best to request its delivery to you via U.S. mail postal service rather than by email. Mailed ballots can be scanned into the system, while a ballot you downloaded and printed at home cannot be scanned. A downloaded ballot would have to be hand-counted by an election official or copied by that official to an official ballot to be scanned. 

Delivering your Mail-In Ballot

SBE will mail ballots to those who applied at the end of September, and they will include a prepaid postage return envelope. Your mail-in ballot, whether received by mail or email, can be returned via mail or hand delivery. If mailing, it must be postmarked on or before November 3 and received by your local board of elections by 10 a.m., November 13. (Do not put it in the mailbox after pick-up on Nov 3 as it will be postmarked Nov 4.) If hand delivering, put your ballot in a designated ballot drop-box by 8 p.m. November 3. The locations for drop-boxes will be sent with your mail-in ballot and will also be listed on the SBE website. Baltimore City and County Boards, and most Voting Centers are some drop-box locations.

If you receive a mail-in ballot, you may still go to a Voting Center to vote in person. But the Voting Center election judge will have you vote by provisional ballot because the record will show that you received a mail-in ballot. The provisional ballot enables the Election Board to verify that you have only one vote in the system. This will be done even if you show your blank mail-in ballot to the judge on Election Day.

The various options described above will help you plan how you will vote. It is vitally important for our community that you do so. Your vote counts. It helps our voices be heard, our needs considered, and our opinions valued. May Hashem help us in our endeavors and give us all a kesiva vechasima tova.

Jacqueline (Jackie) Greenfield is Director of Constituent Services for Delegate Sandy Rosenberg.