Register to Vote: Select Your State

To register to vote in Maryland, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen;
• Be a Maryland resident;
• Be at least 18 years old by the next general election;
• Not be under guardianship for mental disability;
• Not have been convicted of buying or selling votes;
• Not have been convicted of a felony, or if you have, you have completed serving a court ordered sentence of imprisonment, including any term of parole or probation for the conviction.
• Your voter registration form must be dropped off or postmarked by the deadline.

Rules and Information for Voters

Before voting

1. Verify that you are registered to vote and that your information is correct. The deadline to register to vote and update your information is 21 days before an election.
   • The deadline for the Presidential primary election is March 13, 2012.
   • The deadline for the Presidential general election is October 16, 2012.

   To register or update your information, submit a voter registration application. If you submit an application after the deadline, it will be held at the local board of elections and processed when registration reopens after the election. You can provide your updated information when you vote, but if you moved, you may have to vote a provisional ballot.

2. Before a primary election, verify that you are eligible to vote in a primary election. Only certain voters can vote in a primary election.
3. Decide when and how you want to vote. You can vote in person during early voting or on election day or by absentee ballot
4. If you want to vote during early voting or on election day, find out where you can vote.
   • During early voting, go to an early voting center in the county where you live.All early voting centers are open from 10 am to 8 pm, except for Sundays. On Sunday, early voting centers are open 12pm to 6pm.
   • On election day, vote at the polling place for your home address between 7 am and 8 pm.
5. Understand what type of voting system you will use when you cast your ballot.
6. Check to see if your polling place is accessible. All early voting centers in Maryland are accessible.
7. If you have a disability, learn about the accessibility features of Maryland's voting system and if you need helping voting, who can help you vote
8. Use the voter look-up website to see if you have to show ID before voting.
9. If English is your second language, ballots and other voting materials in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties are provided in Spanish.
10. Certain voters may have to vote a provisional ballot. Understand provisional voting in case you have to vote a provisional ballot.

While voting

1. You cannot use your cell phone, pager, camera, and computer equipment in an early voting center or at a polling place.
2. You can bring any printed material - including your marked specimen ballot - to help you vote.
3. Some first time voters in Maryland will be asked to show ID before voting. If you are asked to show ID, please show an election judge one of the following forms of ID:
   • A copy of a current and valid photo ID (i.e., Maryland driver's license, MVA-issued ID card, student, employee, or military ID card, U.S. passport, or any other State or federal government-issued ID card); or
   • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address. Current means that the document is dated within 3 months of the election.
4. When you go vote, you can wear clothing, buttons or stickers with political messages, but you must leave the early voting center or polling place immediately after voting.
5. In a general election, you can write-in the name of a candidate, but in a prim