With the gubernatorial general election just over two months away, preparations are in full swing at the Carroll County Board of Elections.
Election Director Katherine Berry said in an interview that as of Tuesday, there were 128,824 active registered voters in Carroll County eligible to cast a ballot in the Nov. 8 general election.
Of that, 64,258 are Republicans and 33,812 are Democrats, while 28,632 are unaffiliated and 1,042 are considered “other.” The Libertarian Party has 795 voters, the Green Party has 192, and 93 are registered with the Working Class Party in Carroll.
Early voting begins Oct. 27, and continues through Nov. 3. Early voting locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.
On Election Day, Nov. 8, polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Berry stated in a news release that once approved by the State Board of Elections, the early voting and drop box location at North Carroll Senior Center that was used for the primary election will be moved to the old North Carroll High School at 1400 Panther Drive in Hampstead.
Early voting will also be held at the Westminster Senior Center, 125 Stoner Ave., in Westminster and the South Carroll Senior Center, 5928 Mineral Hill Road in Sykesville.
Meanwhile, ballots used for the election are set to be proofed and certified on Sept. 6, Berry said, once all candidates’ names are checked for accuracy and spelling.
“The ballots used for the general election have to be proofed for accuracy,” Berry said. “It’s a lengthy process.”
The State Board of Elections has started sending out notifications to voters who requested to be on a permanent mail-in ballot list, Berry said in the news release.
“Currently, we have over 9,200 Carroll County voters on the list,” she stated. “A little over 4,700 additional people have requested mail-in ballots for this election only so far.”
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Mail-in ballots will be mailed by the State Board of Elections to members of the military overseas by Sept. 24. Sample ballots will be sent to all voters in late September.
“I expect our six drop boxes to be delivered then as well,” Berry stated.
Berry said she expects all polling locations that were used in the primary election to also be in use in the general election.
Carroll County is still recruiting election judges, she added. For the primary, Berry said 477 judges were needed, but elections staff was only able to hire 414.
Election judges get paid between $175 and $350, depending on their responsibilities the day of the election.
Anyone interested in serving as a judge should call 410-386-2958 or email ccboe@carrollcountymd.gov.