Early voting starts in Harford County for 2022 primary election. Here's where to cast your ballot.

Matt Button, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·3 min read

Jul. 7—Harford County voters began casting early ballots Thursday for the July 19 primary election.

The early voting crowd was fairly light at the McFaul Activity Center in Bel Air on Thursday. Bel Air's Mike Thomson typically votes on Election Day, but decided to go early this time.

[ VOTER GUIDE 2022: Read the candidates' positions on the issues ]

"We travel a lot so we wanted to make sure we got our vote in as soon as we could," said Thomson. "Fortunately the crowds weren't too bad this morning so the process went great. People were very attentive."

Thomson was satisfied Harford County election officials were being diligent about checking in voters.

"In a county where we're verifying who is voting, they seem to do a good job making sure the person pulling the ballot is the right person," he said.

Bill Reichmann of Street submitted his ballot at the drop box Thursday morning at the McFaul center.

"I thought it was very easy," Reichmann said. "The hardest part was deciding who to vote for."

Early voting continues through July 14. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at these locations:

— Edgewood Recreation Center, 1980 Brookside Drive

— Havre de Grace Activity Center, 351 Lewis Lane

— Jarrettsville Elementary School, 3818 Norrisville Road

— McFaul Activity Center, 525 W. MacPhail Road in Bel Air

Although the deadline to register to vote for the primary has passed, Maryland also allows voters to register when they vote.

[ VOTER GUIDE 2022: Read the candidates' positions on the issues ]

The Morning Sun

To take advantage of same-day registration, go to an early voting center, or go to your assigned Election Day polling place. Bring a document that proves where you live such as a Maryland-issued license or paycheck, bank statement or utility bill with your name and address.

Mail-in voting, once an option used in a pinch, became mainstream in Maryland during the coronavirus pandemic. During the height of the virus, ballots were mailed to all voters. Later, officials settled into a hybrid election format that allowed voters to cast ballots in person or via mail-in ballot.

Voters who want to cast a mail-in ballot must first request one from the State Board of Elections or their local board. Voters have until July 12 to request a ballot by mail or July 15 for a ballot delivered online. The deadline to request a ballot in person is primary day: July 19.

The state has mailed or emailed ballots to nearly 460,000 voters who requested them in the last month, according to data from the State Board of Elections as of July 5. Of those, the board had already received ballots from at least 18,850 Democrats and 5,800 Republicans.

[ Maryland early voting information ]

For those who had a ballot mailed to their home, there are drop boxes at these Harford County locations:

— Aberdeen Activity Center, 7 Franklin St.

— Edgewood Recreation Center

— Harford County Board of Elections office, 133 Industry Lane in Forest Hill

— Havre de Grace Activity Center

— Jarrettsville Fire Hall, 3825 Federal Hill Road

— McFaul Activity Center

In Maryland's closed primary system, voters can only cast a ballot for the party in which they're registered. And while roughly 2.2 million Democrats and about 1 million Republicans are registered to vote in Maryland, officials expect a relatively small percentage of them to vote this summer.

Harford County voters with questions about the process can contact the board at 410-638-3565 or elections@harfordcountymd.gov. They can track their own voting information at https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/votersearch.