After more than 500 days of 2024 candidates campaigning, it’s time for voters to have their say.

Early voting in Maryland begins Thursday, and election officials have started to count mail-in ballots for the general election.

When is early voting in Maryland?

Maryland voters can cast their ballots at their early voting centers from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 24 through Oct. 31.

There are 11 early voting centers in Baltimore County and eight centers in the city. Their locations can be found on the State Board of Elections website.

When is Election Day?

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. across the state.

Where is my polling place?

Election Day polling places can also be found through the Board of Elections website.

How to register or update your address

Marylanders interested in voting but have yet to register can do so at their local early in-person polling station or when they go to vote on Election Day. Those interested in registering must bring a document providing proof of their address, which includes driver’s licenses, ID cards, change of address cards, paychecks, bank statements, utility bills, or other government documents with their name and address.

Marylanders registered to vote but need to update their address can also do so at early voting stations or when they head to the polls on Nov. 5.

‘Fantastic’ returns on Maryland mail-in ballots

The counting of Maryland’s mail-in ballots began Tuesday. As of Thursday, more than 686,000 mail-in ballots had been requested statewide, and 100,937 have been counted, according to the State Board of Elections.

“We have received basically back over 41% of the mail-in ballots so far that we’ve sent out, and so I think that’s fantastic,” Jared DeMarinis, Maryland’s elections administrator, told The Baltimore Sun in an interview Friday.

DeMarinis said that, excluding the 2020 presidential election, 2024 will likely see the highest number of mail-in ballot requests in Maryland history.

“This election here, 2024, has really solidified mail-in voting in the state of Maryland,” he said. “When you have over three-quarters of a million people requesting ballots, you see that this is not an outlier now.”

Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, said this new trend toward mail-in voting is likely because people were introduced to this “incredibly convenient” method during the pandemic.

“There are people who are incredibly eager to vote,” he said.

Can I still get a mail-in ballot?

Voters can still request to have ballots sent to them by mail through the State Board of Elections website until Oct. 29.

Returned mail-in ballots must be postmarked or submitted to ballot dropboxes by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. There are 36 ballot dropboxes in Baltimore County and 34 in the city. Their locations can be found on the State Board of Elections website.

Who’s on the ballot?

At the top of the ticket, Marylanders will choose between Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, a Republican, to serve as the next president.

In the May primary election, Maryland’s Democratic voters overwhelmingly nominated President Joe Biden to run against Trump. Harris was named the presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris in July.

Voters statewide will also select their candidate to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring after serving decades in various public offices in Maryland. Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Angela Alsobrooks, the current Prince George’s county executive, will face Republican Larry Hogan, a popular former governor, in the race for Cardin’s seat.

According to a UMBC poll of 917 registered voters conducted Sept. 23-28, Alsobrooks has an eight-point lead over Hogan. A large portion of their race hinges upon each candidate’s support of abortion access, which is at risk of a federal restriction should Republicans take control of Congress.

What Maryland voters want

Brenda F. Mendoza, 68, a Black veteran, Independent, and former Alsobrooks voter, said that she supports Hogan because she wants a politician in office “who is not a rubberstamp for their party,” which she believes Alsobrooks will be.

“I am passionate about women’s rights, but that’s not the most important thing to me. What gets me excited about the governor is the fact that he has promised to be an independent voice,” Mendoza said Friday. “It’s not about winning, it’s about doing the right thing … and I believe that the governor wants to do what he believes is best after he listens to what people tell him what they want. It’s not about a party platform, it’s about the will of the people, which is what we elect people to do – the will of the people.”

For Abby Lattes, a 59-year-old Baltimore resident, a potential Hogan victory poses “a real threat to our country,” she said, and a vote for Alsobrooks signifies Democratic control of the Senate, the restoration of abortion access, and the prevention of Trump’s control.

“I am terrified of having a fascist as a president and terrified of having a Senate that is going to go along with his policies,” Lattes said.

What is Question 1?

Abortion is also on the ballot in Maryland.

Statewide, Marylanders will vote on Question 1, which seeks to amend the state constitution to guarantee “every person … the fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including the ability to “prevent, continue or end one’s own pregnancy” without state interference.

While the word “abortion” is not in the question, its protection is implied under the right to end a pregnancy. The question was approved to be on the ballot by the Maryland General Assembly in 2023, following the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

It is anticipated that Democrats, who have a supermajority in Maryland, will vote strongly in support of the ballot question in November.

Eberly said that, while Republicans will also turn out to vote because of Question 1, he doesn’t anticipate it having much sway in terms of the presidential race. He said Harris will likely hold “Joe Biden’s — if not Barrack Obama’s — margins” in the state.

To Eberly, the ballot question will bear the most weight in Maryland’s Senate race.

“I think the point has pretty effectively been made that, if Hogan were to win Maryland,” Republicans will hold the Senate, he said, noting that he has a difficult time foreseeing people split their vote to enshrine reproductive rights while “voting for what would be Republican control of the Senate.”

What are the down-ballot races in Maryland?

Further down the ballot, Marylanders will also select their congressional representatives as U.S. Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and David Trone vacate their seats.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, a Democrat, is running against Republican Kim Klacik to replace Ruppersberger, who is retiring. Democratic state Sen. Sarah Elfreth and Republican Robert J. Steinberger are vying to fill the seat left vacant by Sarbanes, who said last year that he would not seek re-election. Democrat April McClain Delaney is facing former Del. Neil Parrott, a Republican, to take the seat Trone vacated to run a losing Senate primary campaign against Alsobrooks.

Baltimore City voters will cast their ballots for mayor and city council representatives and eight local ballot questions.

Republican Shannon Wright is running against the incumbent, Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott. Of the 14 city council districts, only five races are contested.