COVID-19 & Voting
Beyond The Noise: The Blueprint To Exercise The Right To Vote
Stay Informed
As the COVID-19 pandemic surges in many states and municipalities, there may be changes regarding your designated voting center location, ballot drop-off sites, and when voting locations open and close, check Vote.org or your state election website frequently.
Register To Vote
Election Day Registration

Also referred to as same-day registration, Election Day Registration (EDR) allows a voter to register to vote or update their registration on Election Day. Twenty-one states and DC currently allow voters to register to vote on Election Day with valid proof of residency if they miss the deadline to register by mail or online. Business Insider has the best table showing which states offer Election Day Registration. CLICK HERE to read the article and view the table.

Special Note: If your state allows you to register to vote or update your voter registration information on Election Day, you will complete a provisional ballot. What is a provisional ballot? Provisional ballots ensure that voters are not excluded from the voting process due to an administrative error. They are for voters who arrive at the polls on Election Day and whose eligibility to vote has not been determined at that time. In nearly all of the states, after being cast, the provisional ballot is kept separate from other ballots until after the election. Local election officials will investigate the provisional ballots within days of the election to determine which ones are eligible. CLICK HERE to read more about provisional ballots.

Online Voter Registration

Due to voter suppression, the ever-changing regulations, and how provisional ballots may be handled after the election this year, do not wait until Election Day to register. 

If you are not sure about the voter registration deadline in your state. CLICK HERE for details.
Maryland
The deadline to register to vote or update your voter registration in Maryland is October 13, 2020. CLICK HERE for information on how to register to vote, where to go for early voting, and how to drop off your mail-in ballot in Maryland.

The Maryland State Board of Elections website states: 
“You may also register to vote or update your voter registration information in person during early voting or on election day. If you update your address on election day, you will be asked to complete a provisional ballot. An election judge will assist you with this process.”

However, due to the importance of this election, do not wait until Election Day to register. It only takes a few minutes to register online by October 13, 2020 in the State of Maryland.
Help Those In The Village
We take technology for granted. Check on your elders to ensure that they have access to a device with internet connection in order to register to vote or check on their registration status. For those who have physical challenges and/or compromised health, they may decide not to vote in person or not to drop off their mail-in ballots. Do your part to assist them:
  • Ensure that they have registered to vote online.
  • Work with them to develop a COVID-safe plan to vote.
  • Check to see if you can drop off their mail-in ballots at designated drop-off box locations.


Assist college students in checking the requirements in the state where they are currently residing during the pandemic whether they are living on campus out of state or staying home for virtual learning. Every college campus now offers guidance in registering students to vote. The state board of elections website will also have information regarding college students.
Vote UP The Ballot
Just don’t focus on the presidential candidates. Do your research concerning local, county, and state candidates. Here are a few websites to assist you in your research about your local, county, state, and national candidates and where they stand on issues that impact you:


This is who has the power to impact your daily life, community safety, housing, and public education:

Mayor or City Manager - appoints and dismisses key department heads, usually including the Chief of Police

City Council - have the final vote in creating laws and approving a city budget. 

County Executive and County Commissioner - plays similar roles to the Mayor and City Council, but for issues affecting an entire county and set rules for broad countrywide programs, like transportation initiatives that connect multiple cities. 

NOTE: County government also often serve areas of the country that are not incorporated into a municipal government, for instance with police and fire services. Some municipalities combine city and county governments into one consolidated entity, having the powers of both city and a county, for instance San Francisco, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Board of Education - can push for more funding, advocate for teachers’ and students’ safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and decide how and what students are learning by setting policies, curriculums, and budgets for the school district. 

Comptroller - oversees audits, taxes, and financial reports to ensure that money is being appropriated and used properly in cities and communities. 

Judges - have the power to imprison people or give them freedom and in many states you may not be able to see any public records regarding their performance. 
NOTE: Do an internet search on “Judicial Performance Reports” for your state when researching the judges on your ballot. Many states do not have such reports for their judges. Maryland is one of the states that does not have Judicial Performance evaluations.

Special Note: According to the Baltimore Sun, Maryland judges serve the longest terms in the nation — 15 years for elected Circuit Court jurists, a decade for appointed District Court justices. But unlike 17 states and the District of Columbia, Maryland does not routinely conduct Judicial Performance evaluations of judges which is crucial in maintaining public trust, informing voters and helping judges improve.

District Attorney/City Attorney - has the power to prosecute police brutality and misconduct cases, or let such cases go without consequences; and can initiate reform in the criminal justice system and address inequities in sentencing, and advocate for changes to cash bail standards.
Plan How You Are Going To Vote
Mail-In or Use Drop Box

Depending on which state you live in, you can either drop your ballot off in person or mail it in. Whether you want the peace of mind that comes from getting your vote in well ahead of Election Day, or are concerned about potential health risks of in-person voting, voting by mail is a great way to avoid a last-minute rush.

In-Person

Check your state board of elections website concerning the dates and locations for early voting and for Election Day. Due to COVID-19, the location of your designated polling place most likely has changed since the last election. Check your state board of elections website before you vote in person to see where you can vote.
Maryland
Your mail-in ballot must be mailed or dropped in a drop off box location by 8 pm on Election Day, November 3. If you mail your ballot, it must be postmarked on or before November 3, 2020 to be counted.

Early voting will take place over an eight-day period beginning on Monday, October 26 to Monday, November 2 (including Saturday and Sunday) from 7 am to 8 pm, with early voting centers also open on election day, Tuesday, November 3. On early voting days, approximately 80 vote centers will be open statewide. Voters can cast their vote at any vote center in their county of residence. CLICK HERE to see the list of early voting centers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state is mailing every voter an application for a mail-in ballot to encourage voters to cast their ballot by mail. If you prefer to vote in person, early voting centers will be open from October 26-November 2, and Election Day vote centers will be open on Election Day. You will receive a mailing in October that will tell you where and when you can vote in person.

To make in-person voting safe, voters will be kept six feet apart with the number of people inside vote centers limited at one time. This may result in lines and wait times. The best time to vote in person is on weekends during early voting and between 10 am and 3 pm on Election Day.

On Election Day, approximately 315 vote centers will be open statewide, including the early voting centers. Voters can cast their ballot at any vote center in their county of residence, and residents in the City of Baltimore may cast their ballot at any vote center in the city. Your neighborhood polling place probably will not be open on Election Day, but there should be a vote center near you.

Plan ahead to determine which vote center works best for you!

Voting centers will be open from 7 am to 8 pm on Election Day. CLICK HERE to see the list of election day vote centers.
Know Your Rights
CLICK HERE to learn more about how to exercise your voting rights, resist voter intimidation efforts, and access disability-related accommodations and language assistance at the polls. For help at the polls, call the non-partisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Alanna Taylor
BMHA Communications Specialist