A record number of Americans are expected to vote on ovember 4th. Here are answers to some common questions and tips on how to vote at the polls for your candidate, be them Barack Obama or John McCain.
Where Can I Vote?
Where Can I Vote?
1. Am I registered to vote? Where am I registered?
Polling Places? To find out, go to your State Board of Elections Web site. Click on the “FIND OUT HERE” link at the top of the page. Then, click on “Name Search” and fill in your name, date of birth and zip code. If you’re registered, your name, address and precinct information will appear.
If you no longer live at the address where you are registered, see Question 10.
2. What if I’m not registered? Can I still vote?
No. Voter registration deadline passed last month.
3. When are the polls open? What are the voting Hours?
What time do the polls open?
Voting Times / Polling Hours - From 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., local time.
Voting Day - Tuesday, November 4th.
Anyone in line at 8 p.m. will get to vote.
4. How can I avoid long lines?
Vote between noon and 3 p.m. Precinct traffic mirrors highway traffic. Congestion peaks during morning and evening rush hours, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
5. How can I avoid creating long lines?
Mark up the sample ballot you received in the mail and bring it into the voting booth.
In addition to the candidates for president, congress and other offices, Baltimore’s ballot includes a charter amendment and 15 bond questions. The average unprepared voter will take 9 minutes to get through them, said John T. Willis, a professor at the University of Baltimore and former Secretary of State.
“Studies have shown that anyone who spends more than four or five minutes on a machine is going to create back-ups,” he said.
If you already tossed your sample ballot in the garbage, you can print one from the Internet. Follow the instructions from Question 1. When your voter registration information appears, click on the “sample ballot” link.
6. I hear many people around the nation are voting early. Can I do that too?
No. An early voting statute passed by the General Assembly was ruled unconstitutional. Tuesday you’ll get a chance to decide whether the state should allow early voting in the future.
7. What if I can’t make it to the polls Tuesday. Can I vote absentee?
Yes, but you have to go to your local board of elections in person to pick up an absentee ballot.
8. What machines are we voting on this time?
The same ones as last time — the machines that work like ATMs. If you haven’t voted recently, here is a link to a video demonstrating how the touch-screen machines work: www.mdvotes.org/demo.php
9. What do I need to bring with me to vote?
For most Marylanders, nothing. Most voters are not required to show identification. Just give the poll worker your name, and they’ll ask you to confirm your month and date of birth.
First-time Maryland voters may have to show identification. To learn the state’s identification requirements, call your local elections board or go to the State Board of Elections Web site.
10. Can I vote anywhere I want?
Not if you want your ballot counted.
Because of a ruling from the state’s highest court, you’ve got to vote in the election district and ward in which you live. If you no longer live at the address where you’re registered to vote:
1. Go to the State Board of Elections Web site and click “FIND OUT HERE.”
2. Instead of clicking “name search,” click “address search.” Enter your new address and click “locate a polling place.” Your new precinct will appear.
3. On Election Day, go to that precinct and vote by provisional ballot. DO NOT go to your old precinct.
Again, if your registration is out of date, vote where you live, not where you’re registered. If you don’t have access to the Internet, call your local elections board and they’ll tell you where to go.
11. Can I wear my Sarah-cuda T-shirt to the polls?
Yes, voters are permitted to wear campaign merchandise. But don’t linger around after you vote, or a poll worker will have to ask you to leave.
12. If my house is in foreclosure, will I be able to vote?
Absolutely. Maryland’s Attorney General Douglas Gansler has said rumors that people who lost their homes can’t vote are untrue and “repugnant.”
13. Computers are evil. I want to speak to a real person.
Great news for people wary of the Internet. The State Board of Elections has contracted out incoming calls to a call center that can handle a larger volume of requests, said Ross Goldstein, the state’s deputy elections director.
14. Are absentee ballots always counted?
Yes, but after Election Day.
15. Confirming Your Vote Counts!
Before leaving the booth, please make sure that your vote really counts by confirming the machine fully registered it. Some voting machines are experiencing glitches, like when Oprah Winfrey reported lat week.
16. Where Do I Vote? Where Am I Registered to Vote?
Remember, on election day you must vote in the precinct where you are registered . Go to http://www.vote411.org/pollingplacebystate.php to find out the location you can vote safelly.
17. Voting Polls- 2008 Presidential Poll
Who will be the next President of the United States? Latest polls today - the last day before election day - show a reasonable margin for Senator Barack Obama.
John McCain
45.9%
Barack Obama
51%
I refuse to vote for either one!
3.1%
Total Votes: 10955