Maryland Election Day Guide: Polls Open 7 to 8 Tuesday, and Voters Must Use Their Assigned Polling Place
Montgomery and Prince George's voters who have not yet cast a ballot have one day left: Tuesday, November 3, at their assigned polling place — not any early voting center — with same-day registration available and mail-in ballots due by postmark or drop box by 8 p.m.
Maryland's general election ends on Tuesday, November 3, and the mechanics change from early voting in one important way: on Election Day, Maryland voters must vote at their assigned polling place. The State Board of Elections states the rule plainly for the 2026 Gubernatorial General Election — early voting, which ran from October 22 through October 29, let a voter use any early voting center in their county; Tuesday's vote happens at the polling place assigned to the voter's address.
Polling places across Maryland are open continuously from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Anyone already in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote, the State Board says — the same rule that applied through early voting. Voters in Montgomery and Prince George's counties who are unsure of their assigned place can confirm it, and their registration, through the State Board of Elections' voter services site before they leave home.
Registration is not finished for everyone. Maryland offers same-day registration at the polls on Election Day for eligible residents who bring a document showing where they live. And for voters holding a mail-in ballot, Tuesday is the deadline in both directions: a ballot returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day, and a ballot returned in person or to a secure drop box must be in by 8 p.m. Tuesday. A voter who requested a mail-in ballot and decides to vote in person instead should expect to use a provisional ballot, under the state's published rules.
