With the presidential election just two weeks away, early voting begins Thursday in Montgomery County. Voters who want to avoid the Election Day rush on Nov. 5 can cast their ballot at any of the county’s 14 early voting sites through Oct. 31.
Each center will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition to the presidential race between front-runners Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former President Donald Trump (R), races on the ballot include those for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as well for county judges and the Montgomery County Board of Education. Voters will also decide whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, and if term limits for the county executive should change. Find information about the candidates in the MoCo360 2024 Voters Guide.
Depending on your district, you may be voting in either the Congressional District 6 or District 8 races. You can find your district by entering your address on the Maryland General Assembly’s lookup tool.
If you missed the Oct. 15 advanced voter registration deadline, you may register in person during the eight-day early voting period at any early voting center in the county or at your assigned polling place on the day of the Nov. 5 election. You must have a document that proves where you live, such as a Maryland driver’s license, an ID card, a change of address card, or a paycheck, bank statement, utility bill, or other government document with your name and address. You can vote immediately after registering.
However, you may be directed to file a provisional ballot. If you’re already registered to vote, you cannot change your party affiliation at same-day registration.
If you applied for a mail-in ballot but decide you would rather vote early in person, you will have to fill out a provisional ballot so officials can ensure you only voted once. County elections board officials suggest that as an alternative, you can fill out your mail-in ballot and turn it in at a drop-box at an early voting site if you don’t want to mail it.
Where to vote
Here is a list of early voting sites:
- Activity Center at Bohrer Park Social Hall, 506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg;
- Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville;
- Damascus Community Recreation Center Social Hall, 25520 Oak Drive, Damascus;
- Executive Office Building Auditorium, 101 Monroe St., Rockville;
- Germantown Community Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown;
- Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center Social Hall, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase;
- Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville;
- Mid-County Community Recreation Center Social Hall, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring;
- Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center, 13850 Travilah Road, Rockville;
- Potomac Community Recreation Center, 11315 Falls Road, Potomac;
- Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department, 17921 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring;
- Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring;
- Wheaton Library & Community Recreation Center, 11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton; and
- White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring.
Voters can also text EV and their ZIP code to 77788 to find out the location of the nearest early voting site.
Any county voter can cast a ballot at any of the early voting centers. However, if you choose to vote on Election Day, you can only vote at your assigned precinct.
Voting by mail?
Registered voters who wish to cast their ballot by mail must file their request by Oct. 29. Ballots can be requested at the Board of Elections office or by filling out the online form. Voters can request an electronically delivered mail-in ballot through Nov. 1. Voters must print these ballots themselves. The elections board is encouraging voters to mail their ballots or to deposit them in a dropbox as soon as they are confident in their vote to streamline the process. Find a list of dropbox sites on the Board of Elections website.
The board began their canvas of mail-in ballots on Oct. 15 and will continue canvassing until all ballots are processed. A full schedule of canvas meetings is available on the board’s website. The public is welcome to observe the process via Zoom links posted on the board’s website before the meeting, or in person at the Montgomery College Germantown Bioscience Education Center at 20200 Observation Drive.
