Maryland Sees Over Half a Million Mail-In Ballot Requests for 2026 Primary Election

The Maryland State Board of Elections has announced that 565,639 voters have requested mail-in ballots for the upcoming 2026 Primary Election. The first batch of these ballots is scheduled to be sent out by Monday, May 11, with voters expected to receive them within approximately five days of mailing. In Washington County, 10,840 voters have requested a mail in ballot.

For voters who have not yet requested a mail-in ballot but wish to do so, there are still opportunities to submit their requests. To receive a ballot through mail or fax, requests must be received by the State Board of Elections no later than Tuesday, June 16. Those who prefer to receive their ballot via email have until Friday, June 19, to submit their request online. These deadlines are crucial for ensuring voters have adequate time to receive and return their ballots by Election Day.

To ensure the integrity and security of the mail-in voting process, Maryland voters are encouraged to verify that their mail-in ballot request has been received and to track the status of their ballot. This can be done through the State Board of Elections’ voter look-up website. For those who wish to vote by mail in all future federal and state elections, there is an option to sign up for the permanent mail-in ballot list when submitting a mail-in ballot application. This streamlines the process for future elections, allowing voters to automatically receive ballots without needing to reapply each election cycle.

Voters who choose to return their completed mail-in ballots have several options. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, June 23. Alternatively, voters can hand-deliver their ballots to a secure ballot drop box or a local board of elections office. These in-person drop-off locations must receive the ballot by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, to ensure it is counted. The State Board of Elections emphasizes that voters should utilize official state and local election officials as their primary and most reliable source for accurate election information. Further details regarding the 2026 Primary Election, including specific deadlines for ballot returns, are available on the vote.md.gov/vote2026 website or through the free “Go Vote Maryland!” mobile application, which can be downloaded from the Google Play and Apple app stores.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland State Board of Elections

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