ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 8, 2024) – Every vote counts, count every vote. It is the philosophy of this agency. Witnessing democracy in action is empowering. Marylanders made their voices heard for the 2024 Presidential General Election by voting either by mail, early in person or on Election Day. While voting may have ended, the election has not. The post-election canvass has commenced.
Each board of canvassers and bipartisan canvass teams are diligently and tirelessly working on counting every vote. To date, the local boards of elections received 719,349 mail-in ballots with more being timely received every day. Coupled with approximately 120,000 provisional ballots cast, this is a massive undertaking for the canvass to accomplish. But accomplish, they will do.
Within 10 days after the election, the local board of canvassers verifies the vote count and then certifies the results. However, due to the high volume of mail-in ballots and historic number of provisional ballots, certification by the local board of canvassers may not be achieved by November 15. The law has contemplated this exact scenario.
Counting and the canvass will continue by the local board of canvassers until every vote cast is tabulated. Voters and members of the media may contact their local board of elections or visit their websites to find out when canvass is occurring for observation. Results will be released after each day that mail-in ballots are canvassed to keep the public informed of the latest developments in every contest. Only after the completion of the canvass will the board of canvassers certify the results. Once completed, the certified election returns are sent to the State Board for the Board of State Canvassers to convene and certify. The Board of State Canvassers will meet on December 5 at 2pm.
It is important to note that while the canvass may be extended beyond the 10 days, the curing of a mail-in ballot does not. Curing a missing signature on a mail-in ballot envelope by a voter must occur no later than 10am on November 15. The voter will be contacted by their local board of elections by their preferred communication method. Notification to the voter for curing has already begun. A voter may cure the signature deficiency by text, email, a mailed form, or in-person visit to the local board of elections.
If a voter casts a provisional ballot and is required to provide additional information to the board of elections, the deadline to provide the additional information is 10 am on November 13. Not every provisional ballot cast requires providing follow up information. A voter may access the free access system to determine whether the provisional ballot application was accepted and, if not, the reason why it was not accepted.
Marylanders can trust the electoral process. The canvass is open, transparent and conducted in compliance with laws and regulations. If there are questions on the process, the State Board is the trusted source of electoral information.
