r/maryland • u/AllCopsAre_BeautifuI • 1d ago
Concerned about mail-in ballot
i have concerns this dipshit president and his ilk are going to in some way effect mail-in ballots this year. I have already received mine, but think it will be better to vote in person. Is there anything I can do to void my ballot and vote in person? Thanks for any help!
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u/suture224 1d ago
If you have already received your ballot, then that's it. That's your ballot.
You can still go vote in person, but you will have to vote provisionally. This means filling out an application for the election staff and the canvassers and ultimately the local board to approve after they have checked to make sure that you voted the correct contests and that your mail in ballot has *not* been received. Then, in what is probably one of the final days of canvass, which could be several days after the actual election, they will count your ballot.
Or, you can fill out your Mail-in ballot that you just received and put it directly in a drop box, if you don't trust the USPS.
If you continue to believe you will be uncomfortable with mail in voting, I would also reccomend looking in to canceling future mail in ballots, in case you are on the permanent list.
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u/uyuyuyuyui 1d ago
Surrender your mail in ballot at the voting location. The information is on the SBE website easy search.
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u/ticianlicious Frederick 1d ago
You can use a drop box or drop your ballot at your polling station during early voting or election day or you can cast a provisional ballot at a polling station. They'll tally your provisional once they verify you didn't also vote using your mail-in ballot.
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u/Dana_MarieCD 1d ago
I normally sent mail-in-ballots, but in 2020, my work schedule made it possible for me to finally vote in person. I had already received my mail in, as did my wife. She still didn't want to be in public much post covid, so i took her Ballot and put it in the drop box. I went in and they said I could fill out a provisional ballot, meaning after a certain period, if my mail in wasn't received my provisional would count. If they did receive the mail in, then they would void the provisional.
There are systems in place for these contingencies to make sure you can only vote once
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u/Alaira314 1d ago
She still didn't want to be in public much post covid, so i took her Ballot and put it in the drop box.
FYI, you're not allowed to just do this in MD. There's specific rules to follow if somebody can't drop off their ballot themselves, including completing forms that must be returned along with the ballot.
Obviously, people do this all the time and think nothing of it. There's nothing morally wrong about dropping off your spouse's ballot for their convenience, and decent people aren't in the habit of thinking about why it might be legally restricted. But be careful about casually admitting to it, as it is technically voter fraud.
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u/sdega315 Rockville 1d ago
tbh Requesting a mail in ballot and then trying to invalidate it and vote in person is exactly the type of variance the Magapotamians will latch onto as evidence of fraud. Just follow through and drop your ballot at a drop box.
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u/swosei12 1d ago
I was wondering the same. They are setting it up to be a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. So, if they lose, they can create enough doubt so folks will question the election results.
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u/Full_Honeydew_9739 1d ago
You can fill out the mail in ballot and drop it off at the election office.
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u/Pleasant_Flatworm866 1d ago
I think the worst he's going to do about us is whine about the replacement ballots being fake and fraudulent, but he won;t bother with us in any serious way because we are such a solidly D state. I'm not saying he won't try to F with mail in voting nationwide, but he won;t get anywhere with that. (Though I have been wrong...) I think our voting system works great and we should be proud. I love getting emails saying my vote has been received and then counted. I would, however, take my "mail-in" ballot to a drop box, and in plenty of time. He could try some S with the USPS.
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u/Sad-Independence1969 1d ago
I started mailing anything important like payments etc certified mail during COVID. If you can’t get to a box, or in person, I would go that route.
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u/NoApartment6940 19h ago
If you are concerned about returning via mail or leaving in a collection box, you can take your ballot along with the return envelope (having the return envelope is a must) and submit it at any early voting location or polling site on voting day.
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u/LetThemEatVeganCake Silver Spring 47m ago
I am an election judge and we have a big bag to collect mail in ballots that people come by with. We usually don’t get too many people coming by with them, so the first person you talk to might have no clue where it is, but someone will know lol
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u/Accomplished-Pea-451 1d ago
If you don’t mail it and vote in person there is nothing you need to do. I mail mine and track it on the web to confirm my vote.
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u/Plastic-Pipe4362 20h ago
If you don't mail it in and instead vote in person, your in-person vote is provisional and won't be counted unless a race is close enough to use that ballot.
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u/Stephanee17 18h ago
That is not true. Provisional ballots are counted after validation https://elections.maryland.gov/voting/provisional_voting.html
Will my provisional ballot count?
Provisional ballots are reviewed and counted even if they will not change the outcome of an election. Election officials start counting provisional ballots on the 2nd Wednesday after each election. Your ballot will be counted if you are a registered voter, were eligible to vote by provisional ballot, and met any other applicable requirements (see above).
If you voted in the wrong county during early voting or at the wrong polling place on election day, only part of your provisional ballot will count. Election officials will count those contests or ballot questions that appear on the ballot where you live.
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u/beadfix82 Prince George's County 23h ago
Mail in ballots have always been safe. If trump tries to interfere with them - it's a federal crime and it would be the last straw i believe. i encourage him to try and get caught!
the system we've had in place is safe. As with many fraud cases - any fraud would be within the system and that is unlikely. Even tho trump has messed with checks and balances elsewhere - there are still checks and balances within the Board of Elections. My husband has been a Chief Election Judge for over 20 years and it's a secure system.
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u/Glittering-Ad5809 1d ago
He can't run again so I'm not concerned.
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u/Dana_MarieCD 1d ago
Well people were saying, "it's only four years, how much damage can he do in that time."
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u/Trolkarlen 1d ago
Find your nearest ballot drop station. They pick them up at the end of every day.
https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/2026_Primary_Drop_Box_Locations.pdf