State Board Of Elections Announces New Early Voting, Voter Registration Dates

By Bennett Leckrone, Maryland Matters

March 21, 2022

Early voting for the delayed July 19 primary will begin on July 7, according to an announcement Monday from the Maryland State Board of Elections.

The deadline to register to vote in the primary will now be June 28, and the deadline for primary voters to request a mail-in ballot is July 12, according to the Maryland Elections Administrator Linda H. Lamone said in a news release.

Early voting will run from July 7 to July 14, including on Saturday and Sunday, Lamone said.

The adjusted election timeline comes after the Maryland Court of Appeals pushed back the primary election from June 28 to July 19 amid court challenges to local, state legislative and congressional redistricting plans. A trial for congressional redistricting wrapped up last week, with the judge in that case indicating she would rule sometime this week; a trial for petitions against the new legislative map is set to kick off before a special magistrate in the Court of Appeals Wednesday.

A federal judge held an evidentiary hearing in a challenge against the Baltimore County Council’s redistricting plan Monday after county officials submitted a redrawn plan that still included just one majority-Black council district.

Before the election date was pushed back, local election officials warned that they faced a heavy workload to implement new district lines — and uncertainty over whether those lines could be overturned after court challenges.

“We continue to work with the local boards to review any possible logistical issues resulting from the changes to the election calendar, including the availability of early voting centers and election day polling places, recruitment of election judges for early voting and election day, and equipment allocation,” Lamone said.

The Maryland Court of Appeals also pushed back the candidate filing deadline for the primary election to April 15. The State Board of Elections set April 18 as the deadline for candidates who filed a certificate of candidacy this year to file a new financial disclosure statement.

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