Mail-in ballots to begin arriving this week

Jack Hogan, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read

Jun. 13—Ballots will be mailed to roughly 16,000 Frederick County households beginning this week, Elections Director Barbara Wagner said.

The Frederick County Board of Elections has received about 18 times as many mail-in ballot requests in 2022 as it received during the last pre-COVID election in 2018. Fewer than 900 mail-in ballots were cast four years ago.

"A lot of people just find it attractive to vote that way," Wagner said in a phone interview Monday.

Voters may be out of town or on vacation, or they may find it easier to vote by mail than going to one of the county's in-person polling sites, Wagner said.

Voters can return their ballots by mail or bring them to one of eight drop box locations in the county. The drop boxes will be open until 8 p.m. on July 19, Primary Election Day, and can be found at the following locations:

— Frederick County Board of Elections Office, 340A Montevue Lane, Frederick

— Brunswick Middle School, 301 Cummings Drive, Brunswick

— Catoctin High School, 14745 Sabillasville Road, Thurmont

— Governor Thomas Johnson High School, 1501 N. Market St., Frederick

— Middletown Primary School, 403 Franklin St., Middletown

— Oakdale High School, 5850 Eaglehead Drive, Ijamsville

— Urbana Regional Library, 9020 Amelung St., Frederick

— William R. Talley Recreation Center, 121 N. Bentz St., Frederick

Maryland law requires that all registered voters receive an application to vote by mail. More than 400,000 mail-in ballots have been sent statewide, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Voters have until July 12 to request a mail-in ballot for the primary election, and mail-in ballots must be postmarked by July 19 to be counted, according to the State Board of Elections.

Follow Jack Hogan on Twitter: @jckhogan