Important 2010 Gubernatorial Primary Election Deadlines Approaching

August 24th is the Deadline to Register to Vote, Change Party Affiliation, and Request a Polling Place Change

ANNAPOLIS (August 19, 2010) – Important deadlines for the upcoming 2010 Gubernatorial Primary Election are approaching. The deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation and the deadline for certain voters to request a polling place change for this election is 9:00 pm on Tuesday, August 24.

To vote in the upcoming primary election, Maryland residents who are eligible to vote but are not yet registered – including 17-year-olds who will be 18 years-old or older on or before the November 2 General Election – must complete a voter registration application and hand-deliver or mail the application to a local board of elections. A hand-delivered application must be received by a local board of elections by 9:00 pm on August 24 and a mailed application must be postmarked by August 24. This is also the deadline for registered voters who have moved since the last election to provide updated address information to the local board of elections and for registered voters who wish to change their party affiliation.

Voter registration applications are available at the following locations:

-- Local boards of elections
-- Motor Vehicle Administration offices
-- State Department of Health offices
-- Local Department of Social Services offices
-- Offices on Aging
-- Division of Rehabilitation Services
-- Public institutions of higher education
-- Marriage license bureaus
-- Post offices
-- Public libraries
-- State Board of Elections
-- www.elections.state.md.us
-- 1-800-222-VOTE (8683) to request that an application be mailed

Most of Maryland's polling places are accessible to voters with disabilities. An elderly voter or a voter with a disability who is assigned to an inaccessible polling place may request reassignment to an accessible polling place. This request must be submitted in writing by 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 24. The form to request reassignment is available at www.elections.state.md.us (type "polling place reassignment" in the Search field). On receipt of a timely request, the local board of elections will review the request and determine whether there is an accessible polling place with the same ballot as the voter's home precinct and notify the voter of the status of his or her request.

On the State Board of Elections' website, a voter can verify his or her voter registration status and find out if the polling place to which he or she has been assigned is accessible. To find this information, a voter can visit www.elections.state.md.us and click on the "Find Out Here" link.

The 2010 Gubernatorial Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, September 14, and the General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 2. Starting the 2nd Friday before the election through the Thursday before the election, voters can vote in person at the designated early voting center(s) in their county of residence. Early voting locations and hours and additional election-related dates and information are available at www.elections.state.md.us.

For more information, voters may contact the State Board of Elections at 1-800-222-VOTE (8683) or visit www.elections.state.md.us.

Source: Maryland State Board of Elections