Harford County has had ‘very, very big increase’ in mail-in ballots leading up to the 2022 primary election

As early voting drew to a close Thursday, the Harford County Board of Elections saw a dramatic increase in mail-in ballots compared to the 2018 midterm primary, according to elections director Stephanie Taylor.

In 2018, 1,038 ballots were requested and 695 were returned, Taylor said. But as of Wednesday, there were more than 18,000 requests for mail-in ballots, and 7,269 ballots were returned

“That’s a very, very big increase for a gubernatorial primary election,” Taylor said.

Taylor said early voting and Election Day results will be available the night of the primary on July 19. The board will hold three canvasses in its office to count the mail-in ballots — the first is on July 21, when the bulk of the counting will take place, followed by canvasses on July 27 and July 29.

“As of the 29th of July, we should have everything canvassed by that time,” Taylor said.

Taylor also said early voting has gone smoothly in the county, despite lower turnout than usual — on par with the state.

Voters should also keep in mind this is a closed election, Taylor said. If a voter is not registered as a Democrat or Republican, they may not be able to vote in the primary election. Unaffiliated voters will be able to vote in the school board primary in Districts A, C, E and F.