Online Voter Registration Launches in Maryland
Maryland is one of a handful of states nationwide offering the service.
Photos
Residents in Maryland with a valid drivers’ license or identification card can now register to vote online for the first time, Gov. Martin O’Malley announced Tuesday on Twitter.
Mary Wagner, Maryland’s director of voter registration at the State Board of Elections, called the move, which was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2011, “fairly cutting edge.”
Will you register to vote online? Or do you prefer the paper method? Tell us in comments.
She said state officials did a soft launch of the online voter registration tool July 9 and moved it to the main state elections home page on Tuesday.
Maryland is one of 13 states with online voter registration either implemented or approved by state lawmakers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The online voter registration system is expected to increase the number of registrants and "go a long way in cleaning the voter rolls," Wagner said.
"Election officials will not be having to read handwriting, interpret handwriting," she said. "You can’t put in bad address."
The address that potential voters input must match a state database, which means "you can't misspell an address," she said.
The deadline in Maryland to register to vote in the Nov. 6 election is Oct. 16. Paper registrations must be post-marked by that date. Voters can register up until 9 p.m. online Oct. 16, Wagner said.
To participate in online voting in Maryland, you must have a state drivers’ license or identification card issued by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, Wagner said. Otherwise, you can pre-populate the online form and mail it in, she said.
Sign up for the Eldersburg Patch newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for instant news updates and community conversations.
My Opinion
5:41 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Already registered many years ago, it is not just our right but our responsibility to stay informed and vote! But this too will end if the Tea Baggers are allowed to take over OUR State! Yay O'Malley you go guy! MD is in good shape despite those who constantly complain but we all know that everyone wants their pot holes fixed but few think they should pay for it.....and so it goes!
patricia
8:25 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Election Integrity Maryland turned over info claiming that out of 1,400 registrations it reviewed since March, 668 of them contained discrepancies. This story was in the Maryland Gazette. 59-deceased, 119 were registered to a business, 178 did not live at the registered address, 194 are registered by groups that would not verify their address such as job corp training camps and drug rehab locations. 41 listed as inactive but still on the rolls, and 75 had incorrect addresses and one voter listed a vacant address. Oh, but there's no voter fraud going on. You can always tell the progressives when they respond, they can't speak, let alone type without name calling and foul language. OUR state needs to be sanitized, cause it sure does stink.
LevelheadedOne
8:30 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
@my opinion......Maryland is so heavily weighted towards democrats I doubt conservatives could ever "take over OUR state." But guess what? There are plenty who don't agree with your thinking as they watch YOUR state going to the crapper. MANY 1%ers have established/will establish residency elsewhere to avoid the absurd taxation. Thank you O'Malley- taking lessons from Obama. Wonder who's going to be left to pay for all of his ideas?
Susan Kim
10:51 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Online registration is great - I updated my info this morning. Fast, easy, and painless.
Mr.Miagi
11:48 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Great a bunch of immigrants will be messing up the elections again.
Amy Leahy
1:50 pm on Sunday, August 12, 2012
Not only promoting fraud at the polling booth with no ID required, but now promoting fraud by allowing registration online with no proof of citizenship. Gotta love Maryland. It'll do anything to maintain it's Democrat stronghold.
Judith Moylan-Forman
2:51 pm on Sunday, August 12, 2012
@ Amy
Perhaps one should READ ALL ABOUT IT and HOW on-line voter registration is done before condemning it......The great state of Arizona.....(ya' know, the state with the current Tea Party Governor- Jan Brewer-) well, Arizona actually was the genesis for doing this back in 2002. Gov. Brewer and her Tea Party attorney general have found no problems with it. Also, 17 other states currently have online voter registration.
Amy Leahy
11:05 am on Monday, August 13, 2012
Judith, I do not need to read all about it to know that there is absolutely no reason we need online voter registration. And by the way, Janet Napolitano was governor of AZ when that became law. And that says it all.
Judith Moylan-Forman
11:40 am on Monday, August 13, 2012
Amy,
I didn't say Gov. Brewer was governor at that time; I said the state of Arizona enacted it first and Gov. Brewer currently has had no problems with it. But here is actually what Jan Brewer said as Secretary of State under the Gov. Napolitano. “Today, over 50% of Arizonan’s register to vote electronically, thus reducing errors, registering faster, and easier.”
just a Granny
2:01 pm on Friday, September 21, 2012
A valid Maryland drivers license is not worth the paper it is printed on. you do not need to be a legal resident of the state to get one. Md drivers licenses are not recognized as proof of legal residencey in 14 states!!! Every voted should have to produce a valid voter's card and photo ID.