[Greater-baltimore] General Election Absentee Ballot Request Deadline is Fast Approaching

[Blake, Lou Ann]

Hello Everyone!

Just a reminder that the deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November General Election is Friday, October 31st if you want to use the online ballot marking tool to mark your ballot. A number of our members, including myself, have already used this tool to mark their ballot, and the experience has been very positive. I encourage everyone who has access to a computer with a printer to try this new way to mark your ballot privately and independently.

To use the online ballot marking tool to mark your absentee ballot, you must first request that the ballot be delivered to you by email. Following are steps to request email delivery of your absentee ballot:

1.     Use the accessible online voter registration and absentee ballot request form at https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration/InstructionsStep1. You must have a Maryland ID or driver's license issued by MVA to use this form. In Step 9 of this form, be sure to indicate that you want an absentee ballot for the 2014 Gubernatorial General Election and that you want delivery through email.

2.     OR, complete the absentee ballot application for 2014 elections at http://www.elections.state.md.us/voting/documents/2014_Absentee_Ballot_Application_English.pdf. This form is an inaccessible PDF. A Spanish version of this form may be found at http://www.elections.state.md.us/voting/documents/2014_Absentee_Ballot_Application_Spanish.pdf. It is also an inaccessible PDF. Be sure to indicate that you want your absentee ballot delivered by email.

3.     OR, go to your local board of elections and complete and turn in your absentee ballot application there. Be sure to indicate that you want your absentee ballot delivered by email.

4.     Your absentee ballot request form must be submitted by October 31, 2014, if you want to have your ballot delivered by email and use the online ballot marking tool.

Within a few days after your absentee ballot request has been received, you will receive an email from the State Board of Elections that contains a link to access the ballot. Once you have marked your ballot, it must be printed out and mailed to your local board of elections.

Feel free to contact me at lblake at nfb.org<mailto:lblake at nfb.org> if you have any questions. If you don't wish to vote by absentee ballot, be sure to either visit one of the early voting centers during the early voting period October 23rd to October 30th, or go to your local polling place on November 4th and make your voice heard!

Lou Ann
Lou Ann Blake, J.D.
HAVA Project Manager and Law Symposium Coordinator
Jernigan Institute
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street
    at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Telephone: (410) 659-9314, ext. 2221
Fax: (410) 659-5129
E-mail: lblake at nfb.org<mailto:lblake at nfb.org>
Web site: www.nfb.org<http://www.nfb.org/>

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

To make a donation to the National Federation of the Blind Imagination Fund campaign, please visit www.nfb.org/ImaginingOurFuture<http://www.nfb.org/ImaginingOurFuture>.