Maryland will begin mail-in ballot canvassing for the 2024 general election on October 15

BALTIMORE, MD (WBFF) — Absentee ballot canvassing for Maryland’s 2024 general election begins Tuesday, October 15.

According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, local election boards will begin opening, reviewing and counting the more than 262,000 mail-in ballots that voters have returned so far.

Under Maryland law, local election boards meet eight days before early voting begins, which begins Oct. 15, to begin canvassing. Both Democrats and Republicans must be included in this process.

Canvassing may continue in the following days, but not on Election Day, November 5th. All mail-in ballots postmarked on or before November 5th will be questioned.

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The poll results will only be announced after the polls close at 8 p.m. on election day.

“October 15 marks the first day in a lengthy and deliberate process to collect every vote cast in the 2024 general election,” said State Administrator Jared DeMarinis. “Starting the acquisition process now gives our acquisition teams enough time to process mail-in ballots efficiently and accurately. Ballots are collected in the presence of a bipartisan election committee and can be observed in person, so Marylanders can have complete confidence that our election process is transparent, secure and reliable.”

Residents can find the dates, times and locations of the screens on each local authority website.

Click here to learn more about the acquisition process in Maryland.