Turnout Surged on Final Day of Early Voting
Nearly 175,000 people cast ballots during early voting, which ended Thursday.
The last day of the eight-day window had the highest turnout, by far: 49,578, according to preliminary data from the Maryland State Board of Elections.
About 4.6% of all eligible active voters turned out during the early voting period.
The figure fell short compared to early voting numbers four years ago, when 222,100 people, or 6.17% of voters, cast ballots at early voting centers.
However, the popularity of mail-in ballots, which can be mailed or dropped at dropboxes, has dramatically increased since the last gubernatorial election.
As of Wednesday, the state had received 152,260 returned ballots.
More than 505,000 mail-in ballots have been requested this election, up from about 42,000 four years ago.
Voters can still request a mail-in ballot be sent to them by email through the state’s online request system until 11:59 p.m. Friday night.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before the July 19 primary date, or returned at dropboxes throughout the state. A list of dropbox locations is here.
The growing popularity of mail-in ballots, which aren’t counted until two days after Election Day, could mean that winners in a number of races won’t be clear on election night.
>> RELATED: In a Unique Summer Primary, When Can Marylanders Expect Election Results?
Election Day is Tuesday.
Voters can register to vote and vote in person between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Voters can find their assigned polling place here.
To learn more about the candidates, see Maryland Matters’ election guide here.
Danielle E. Gaines
Editor-in-chief
Danielle Gaines covered government and politics for Maryland Matters for two years before moving into an editing position. Previously, she spent six years at The Frederick News-Post ― as the paper’s principal government and politics reporter for half that time, covering courts and legal affairs before that. She also reported for the now-defunct The Gazette of Politics and Business in Maryland and previously worked as a county government and education reporter at The Merced Sun-Star in California’s Central Valley.
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