WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — General elections, including the presidential election, take place across the country on Nov. 5. Whether you take advantage of early voting, vote absentee, or plan to go to the polls on Eletion Day, itself, we’ve put together a guide for voters in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
Washington, D.C.
Although the registration deadline for D.C. is Oct. 15, you still can register in person the same daty that you vote.
The D.C. Board of Elections (BOE) will mail every registered voter in the District a mail-in ballot before the general election on Nov. 5. Officials reminded voters to make sure they check their voter registration and update their addresses if necessary.
You can vote by depositing these mailed ballots at any ballot drop box location before 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Early voting centers in the District also will be open until Nov. 3. You can visit this website to see the locations and to see whether or not a location is open.
D.C.’s voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. D.C. voters can vote at any voting center, regardless of their address.
The D.C. BOE has an online tool you can use to find your nearest voting location.
In addition to the presidential election, D.C.’s delegate to the House of Representatives is up for reelection. Ballots also have races for U.S. senator and U.S. representative. Local races include ones for the D.C. Council and D.C. Board of Education.
Initiative 83, which is ranked-choice voting, is also on the 2024 ballot.
You can view the full list of candidates as well as sample ballots by ward here.
Maryland
Maryland’s registration deadline is Oct. 15, but same-day registration is available. You must head to your assigned polling place and bring an official document that proves your address. You can check where your assigned polling place is online.
If you want to receive a ballot by mail or fax, your request must be received by Oct. 29, 2024. If you want to get your ballot online, your request must be received by Nov. 1. It must get there by 5 p.m. for a mail request, or by 11:59 p.m. for a request submitted via fax or the Internet.
If you want to request a mail-in ballot in person, you must do so by Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.
Early voting is available in Maryland from Oct. 24 through Oct. 31. During that time, early voting centers will be open for seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. You can vote at any early voting center in your jurisdiction.
Maryland’s voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.
In addition to the presidential election, voters statewide will be voting for a new senator after incumbent Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) announced his retirement in 2023. Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) are facing off in that race.
There also are eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that are up for grabs — including the 6th District, which Congressman David Trone (D) began representing left after representing the district since 2019 for a shot at the open U.S. Senate seat.
Maryland also has several judge positions up — Judge of the Circuit Court, Supreme Court of Maryland Justice, Appellate Court of Maryland At Large Judge and Appellate Court of Maryland Judge.
There are also many local elections on this year’s ballot.
You can view the full list of candidates in Maryland on the Board of Elections’ website.
Virginia
Virginia’s voter registration deadline is Oct. 15. Any voters who still want to register can do so in person through Election Day and vote via a provisional ballot. Virginia offers same-day registration at local registrar’s offices, satellite early voting sites and precincts on Election Day.
Early, in-person voting starts on Sept. 20 in 2024 and will run through Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. You can find more information by contacting your local registrar’s office.
If you would like a ballot to be mailed to you, your local voter registration office must receive your request by 5 p.m. on Oct. 25.
Virginia’s voting centers will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 5. You must bring valid ID to the polls in order to vote.
You can use the Citizen Portal to check your registration status and polling place.
In addition to the presidential race, incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D) is facing off against challenger Hung Cao (R) for one of Virginia’s U.S. Senate seats.
There also are 11 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that will be on ballots, including the 7th Congressional District seat, which Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) previously held. Spanberger announced that she would be giving up the seat to run for Virginia governor in 2025.
The 10th Congressional District also is seeing attention in this election. It was left empty after Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) announced she would not be running for re-election due to health reasons. Wexton had held the seat since 2019.
Other local races will appear on ballots. You can see who is on your ballot by looking at the candidate lists.
The website Vote411 has a tool you can use to find more voting information. Just input your address, and the widget will tell you candidates, polling locations, registration deadlines and more.
