Are you interested in running for public office in Howard County, Maryland? If so, you need to be aware of the requirements and regulations that must be met in order to become a candidate. The mission of the Board of Elections is to ensure that federal, state and local elections are conducted in a timely, responsible manner and with the highest level of professional electoral standards, responsibility, security, and integrity, with the goal of earning and maintaining public trust in the electoral process. In order to become a candidate for election in Howard County, you must meet certain criteria. First, you must be at least 25 years old and a resident and qualified voter of the City of Baltimore for at least one year prior to the election.
Additionally, you must adhere to the Fair Electoral Practices Act when conducting your campaign. It is important to check your voter registration status before running for office. You can do this by using the State Board of Elections voter Search website. If you are a resident of Howard County, you can also contact the Howard County Board of Elections office (410-313-5820) located at 9770 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 200, Columbia MD 21046. You can also review and update your voter registration online or in person at the Howard County Board of Elections office. The voter registration deadline for the November general elections is Tuesday, October.
In cases where the final election is held within 75 days of the primary election, candidates who win the primary elections may continue to display their signs during the interim period and up to seven days after the final election. Candidates who do not pass the primary elections must remove their posters within 15 days of the primary election. Signs advertising candidates for public political office and other pertinent information must have a total area of nine square feet per venue in a residential district and 32 square feet in a commercial or industrial district. One of the easiest ways to find out the location of your voting center on Election Day is to use the State Board of Elections voter Search website. Authorities will begin publishing the vote count on election day in the next few hours of election night.
The results are available for the primary and general elections and, in some cases, the reports are available in PDF or Excel format. The sixth question, question A, is specific to Howard County and will ask whether voters are in favor of the law or against the law because of a law that has been passed by a majority of the county's Democrats. Summaries of this law, prepared by the Maryland Attorney General, are available from the Board of Elections at 410-313-5820 or from the Annapolis State Board of Elections. If you meet all these requirements and regulations and would like to become a candidate for election in Howard County, it is important to make sure that your voter registration information is up to date using online voter registration tools.
