October 16, 2024 • 27 mins
Prepare to be empowered to vote in this year's election with exclusive insights from Dr. Gilberto Zelaya, the Information and Public Relations Officer for the Montgomery County Board of Elections. You'll walk away with a good understanding of the voting options available to you in Montgomery County MD, including early voting, same-day registration, and the essentials of what to bring to ensure a seamless voting experience. Dr. Zelaya demystifies the provisional voting process and underscores the safeguards that protect voter identity, ensuring you head to the polls with confidence. Our conversation sheds light on the voting regulations set by the Maryland State Board of Elections, ensuring transparency and accessibility for all voters.
As Election Day approaches, we guide you through every step of the in-person voting process in Montgomery County, Maryland. From finding your designated polling place with a simple text to 77788, to navigating the polling station with ease, including checking in and choosing your voting method, we've got you covered. Discover the convenience of 58 ballot drop boxes across the county and the importance of being at the right polling place to avoid provisional voting. We also emphasize the accessibility features available for voters with disabilities and encourage you to share your voting experience with Montgomery County's Board of Elections on social media at 777-VOTE. Don't miss this episode, filled with vital information to ensure you're ready to make your voice heard on November 5th.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening MoCo, an
authentic unscripted podcastfrom your Montgomery County
government.
Now here's your host, derekKenney.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good day, welcome to what's Happening, moco.
Today's episode is all aboutvoter empowerment.
We're going to make sure thatyou, the voters of Montgomery
County, maryland, are empoweredwith information.
And when we think aboutempowerment and information and
voting, we think about Dr Z, drGilberto Zelaya.
He's the information and publicrelations officer for
(00:37):
Montgomery County, maryland'sBoard of Elections.
How are you today, sir?
Good, energized, empowered, allright, great, great.
I think we'll all be empoweredafter we have this conversation.
Major vote coming this year.
Yes, we will be voting for thepresidential election.
There's other major things thatpeople will be voting for and
there's always concern in somerespects when it comes to voting
(01:01):
.
People can never have enoughinformation.
Sometimes there's surprises forpeople when they arrive to vote
in person, or they thought theycould vote at a certain time of
year, and all those things.
But we're going to clear all ofthat stuff up, yes, but before
we do that, let's talk about you.
Okay, you are the PR guy forthe Board of.
Elections the community guyresponsible for educating the
(01:22):
public.
What is it that you do in yourrole?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
So I was blessed to be hired at the Montgomery
County Board of Elections since2003.
So I have over two decades, andwhen I initiated this endeavor,
voters had two options to vote.
Number one by mail or akaabsentee, and you needed a
reason to vote in that way,whether it's illness,
(01:47):
professional, personal endeavors, et cetera.
And then the other opportunitywas in person voting, which was
basically election day.
Now, my responsibility I serveas a liaison between Montgomery
County's diverse electorate.
We have a wonderful electoratewhere we have individuals that
are multidimensional,multicultural, multigenerational
(02:09):
.
We have to look at our seniorsas well as our new voters.
We have to look at our diverseelectorate because many are
newly naturalized and they'renot maybe familiar with the way
we run elections in the state ofMaryland.
Keep in mind full disclosure.
We follow the rules andregulations established by the
Maryland State Board ofElections and the state
legislature.
So really I am that kind ofglue that brings the community's
(02:33):
needs and understanding toexercise the right to vote, and
our job as a team is to ensurethat we have transparent and
accessible elections.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh, wow.
So where are we now in thetimeline of getting ready for a
major vote?
Where are we now?
What are some of the deadlinesthat have passed thus far and
what are some of the deadlineswe need to be aware of as we
prepare to be ready to vote thisfall?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Okay.
So one of the deadlines thatsince passed is the October 15th
deadline to it's called theadvanced voter registration
deadline.
Nonetheless, if you moved intothe county past the 15th or you
were just you slept on it andyou just were procrastinating,
it's okay, we have somethingcalled same day voter
registration.
You would report at one of our14 early voting centers from
(03:21):
Thursday the 24th of Octoberthrough Thursday the 31st of
October, from 7 am to 8 pm, oron election day, which is
Tuesday, November 5th, betweenthe hours of 7 and 8.
And you could bring a Marylanddriver's license or a learner's
permit or an MVA ID.
Now, if you don't have thosethree forms of ID, you could
(03:43):
bring a bank statement, utilitybill, a governmental document, a
leasing agreement, somethingofficial that has your name and
current Montgomery Countyaddress, and then we'll go
through the bells and whistles,register you and afford you the
opportunity to vote.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
OK, I think that's important to repeat and I know
you said a lot.
Yeah, it's a lot, but what Igather is that there is no firm
limit to your ability toregister, to vote or to
participate in this election ifyou have the right documentation
.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Correct, correct.
So definitely bring a Marylanddriver's license, either a
learner's permit or an MVA MotorVehicles Administration ID.
Or, if you don't have thosethree forms of state ID, you
could bring a bank statement,utility bill, lease, an
agreement, something that hasyour name and Montgomery County
(04:35):
address.
And then you would presentduring the early voting season
or on election day.
You would talk to the check-inelection judge, same day
registration judge, and they'llhelp you through the process to
vote and at any time, even ifyou just come off the street and
you don't have an ID, they willprovide you a provisional
ballot.
But we will still need to gothrough the checks and balances
(04:56):
to verify who you are before youcould actually vote and scan a
ballot in our scanning unit.
But if you vote provisionallyat any time because we can
identify you in a poll book oryou have no ID on you and
whatnot, there's mechanismswhere we won't turn you away.
But we also want to keep themechanism safeguarded and then
(05:19):
we will do our due diligence toresearch that provisional ballot
submission and then we willascertain whether we will
incorporate that into the canvasor not.
And nonetheless, what'sinteresting, that provisional
ballot application doubles as avoter registration application.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So for the next election 2026,.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
You're good to go.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Oh, okay, very good.
Very good, and that answersanother question what do you say
to people that have concernsabout people voting without
having adequately identifiedthemselves?
But you already mentioned thatthere's various ways that you
ensure that a person is who theyare, and I guess we can say
that one more time.
So in case someone missed itthe first couple of times, they
(06:02):
get it.
There is a process.
People are better.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, so full disclosure.
There are rules and regulationsscripted by the Maryland State
Board of Elections and the statelegislature.
We do not make the rules, weonly follow them.
So, depending on thecircumstance, when you show up
to vote in person, whetherduring early voting or on
election day, you may be askedto present an ID.
If you don't have a form ofvalid ID, you will vote
provisionally and then we willdo our checks and balances.
(06:29):
So it's always important tocarry an ID, just because right.
But those are the rules and wefollow them.
If, if and I understand thereare some feelings out there and
we get that.
We respect everyone's opinion.
But once again, we followed therules and regulations scripted
by the Maryland State Board ofElections and or the state
legislature.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
All right, and again, Dr Z does that make the rules.
So you see Dr Z in the streetor you see him on election day.
Do not get upset with him.
His job is to make sure youknow what the rules are.
That we are in MontgomeryCounty is compliant to the rules
of the state, Correct Now?
Now about what is early voting,what's considered by early
voting, and then what are someof the ways you can vote early
(07:09):
nowadays?
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
So the early voting season will start on Thursday,
october 24th through Thursday,october 31st, so even that
weekend we have 14 early votingcenters across Montgomery County
.
They will be open from 7 am to8 pm.
You are not tied to the nearestor closest early voting center,
so if you live up county andyou're visiting loved ones down
(07:33):
county and you're near theSilver Springs Civic Building,
you could vote there.
You don't have to rush upcounty to look for the one
closest to your home address.
Having said that, if you'rerunning around errands between
the 24th and the 31st of Octoberand you don't know where to go
because maybe you left yoursample ballot at home, all you
do is get your cell phone andtext the letters E and V for
(07:55):
early voting E and V and yourzip code to 77788, three sevens,
two eights and, which isinteresting, during the early
voting period, that system, thattexting prompt, will give you
the nearest early voting center,driving directions and, most
important, wait times.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
OK, all right, I'm a little slow, so let's back it up
one more time.
Wait times okay, all right, I'ma little slow, so let's let's
back it up one more time.
So if, if someone texts to uh,77788 they text their um ev and
a zip code and a zip code andmake sure that so it's.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
it doesn't have to be caps, right, okay, it's just
the letters e and v, okay, andthen have a space and then put
the first, the full five, five,the five digits of your social.
So Montgomery County, ouroffice is in Gaithersburg, so I
would text E-N-V, space 20879.
And the number is 77788.
And that text only works duringtheir early voting season, the
(08:50):
24th through the 31st of October.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
That's amazing.
So you have a cell phone.
You're not lost.
So if you're not, a cell phone,you're not lost Exactly If
you're not a paper person andyou're not walking around with a
briefcase full of papers.
Or you didn't remember to bringyour manila folder with the
voting stuff and all thepreparation and research you've
done as a great voters that weare responsible voters that we
are.
You can text 77788.
The EV is then your zip code.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Correct, and that's it, and that's it, and that's it
, and it'll give you the nearestearly voting location, driving
directions and, most importantly, wait times, which is kind of
neat.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Now what if I'm at home and I'm trying to do the
research of how I'm going to domy voting this year?
I'm going to plan it out.
I'm going to early vote here.
I'm going to do this there.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
What website do I go to or who do I call?
Go to our website, obviously,which is www.777voteorg.
777voteorg.
All the information is on there.
Or you could call our office at240-777-8500.
240-777-8500.
And you see the common theme of777, right, keep it very easy
there.
Yeah, yeah, but also sometimesit confuses people, but
(10:00):
everything is on our website.
We're there to serve.
We have bilingual staff membersthat can help out as well.
Every registered voter will bemailed a sample ballot with all
that information.
It's bilingual.
In Montgomery County, we'reunder Section 203 of the 1975
Voter Rights Act.
That's how I came to join theBoard of Elections and you'll
(10:22):
notice that our ballots, oursample ballots, poll workers,
signage everything is in Englishand Spanish.
It's a federal requirement.
It's a federal requirement andafter the 2000, the 2010, and
the 2020 decennial census, theDepartment of Justice states we
have to implement that secondlanguage into our entire process
(10:43):
.
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Wow, okay, wow.
So that's mandatory.
So you're following directions.
If anyone has a question why doyou have Spanish and English
and not Spanish and somethingelse, or English and something
else?
That that's the reason why.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yes, it goes through the census.
Yes, correct.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And you mentioned that there are language
accommodations for people.
Since we have one of the mostdiverse counties, it is In not
just Maryland but America.
Yes, there's ways that peoplecan go to not only the website
or make phone calls Correct, wecan find someone to talk to them
or we can provide them withinformation in a language
they're comfortable with.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Correct.
We do a lot of activerecruiting.
We visit all high schools.
We do over close to 550community events throughout the
county.
I don't think anyone couldtouch us 550 events.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
There's only 365 days in the year.
We do a lot, so even like today.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
myself, I did three.
This is my third one, so thisis an event.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
This is an opportunity right To educate
people.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
This weekend we have, I believe, four on Saturday and
three on Sunday leading up toearly voting.
It's our job to serve at theend of the day, and this is year
round.
This is not oh, it's 90 daystill election day.
Let's do some outreach.
We also do this in the oddyears between the presidential
and the midterm gubernatorial,so we're always circulating
(11:57):
because someone is alwaysturning 16 years of age to
register, someone is becoming anaturalized citizen, someone is
turning of age to vote for thefirst time.
So we're cognizant that theelectorate is changing and
individuals need services.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Is there anything special or what are some of the
things that people that arevoting for the first time should
consider?
If you're just turning 18 orwhatever you are and it's your
first election.
You're going to get there tothe box, or whatever.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
What should they be mindful of?
Well, be mindful that there's alot of legwork that's taken
place before giving you theopportunity to vote at the
ballot box, right To vote in oneof these paper ballots.
It's important that your voteis your voice at the end of the
day right.
So this is your opportunity toflex your constitutional right
to vote.
Obviously, we prepare for ahundred percent turnout.
(12:49):
There's multiple ways to vote,whether you're voting by mail,
right, so there's active ballotscirculating now If you want to.
If you have a desire to vote bymail because you're just busy
and you can't vote early, or onelection day, all you need to do
is text the letters VBM to77788.
Really easy VBM, vbm to 77788.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
If you want to vote, you want to vote by mail-in
ballot by mail.
A mail-in ballot EVM V for voteby mail.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Victor Bob.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Mindy, yeah, all right, okay, vbm.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
VBM, vbm.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Yeah so 777-888-VBM.
All right Technology.
That's great.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Exactly, and so we'll go through the process.
We verify you are registered tovote, and then we will mail you
your vote-by-mail packet.
Now, if you are voting what wecall web delivery or internet
prints at home ballots this isone of the kind of the web
(13:49):
delivery that you will print atthe office.
As you see, it's eight by, wasit eight?
and a half by 11?
What's interesting is we cannotscan this in our high velocity
scanners.
So then we're going to have wehave to formulate bipartisan
teams to duplicate your webdelivery print at home ballot
onto the official ballot.
It's a whole process.
We get it.
It's a convenience.
(14:11):
We're definitely not amazoncom,so you're going to have to wait
for your ballot.
There's a process.
We want to count once and getit right the first time.
But if you're voting webdelivery or print at home
ballots, we're going to need toduplicate it onto the official
one.
It takes some time.
At this moment we're over, Ibelieve, 28,000 web delivery
(14:31):
ballots requested.
Yeah, it's high, and most ofthe voters they're not in some
remote country in Latin Americaor Africa doing research,
they're here in MontgomeryCounty, in Gaithersburg,
Rockville.
That's how you choose.
Great, but we're here to serve.
I just wanted to share.
If you're voting a print athome ballot, we're going to have
to duplicate it onto theofficial cardstock before we can
(14:52):
actually canvas and also wecould actually scan and tabulate
on election day.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Okay, so.
So if you do web, if you do theuh, the web process, then
somebody will be doing themanual process.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
We'll have bipartisan team one registered Democrat,
one registered Republican orunaffiliated voter.
We go through the processbecause we can scan that eight
and a half by 11 sheet of paper.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
And that's a fair process.
Now, speaking of the manualprocess, let's talk about the
manual process, let's talk aboutwhat people can expect.
You walk to the precinct thatyou want to attend.
You're standing in line, byyourself or with loved ones or
your neighbors.
You're waiting in line, andwhat happens as you move forward
?
Speaker 3 (15:35):
So let's start this really quickly from home.
You're home and you want tovote by.
You want to vote in person?
It's election day.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
November 5th.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
You didn't leverage the 14 centers during early
voting from the 24th through the31st of October.
You woke up and you're like.
You know what?
I'm going to go get milk andeggs.
I also want to go vote right,it's election day.
But what do I do?
I don't have my sample ballot.
I misplaced it, I recycled it.
Get your cell phone text theword check to 77788, check to
(16:06):
77788.
And you can ascertain which isyour election day polling place.
Unlike early voting, you shouldgo to the one that's identified
according to your residentialaddress.
So do not assume that theschool or the facility up the
street is where you actuallywill vote on election day.
If you go to a differentpolling place that doesn't
correspond to your residentialaddress, you will vote a
provisional ballot.
Okay, and then we'll researchwhy was this person out of
(16:27):
precinct?
And we do our bells andwhistles before we could
incorporate into the canvas,Nonetheless, text the word check
to 77788.
Or look at the back cover ofyour sample ballot to ascertain
where you should vote onelection day.
Or call the office Once youshow up and you get in line.
Obviously there's a check-inprocess.
They'll ask some particulars ofsome personal information.
(16:49):
They'll ask your name, etcetera, and then from there you
sign the voter authority card,you affirm the name, the address
, date of birth, etc.
Party affiliation.
Then you will go to the ballottable and that's where they'll
give you the option of whetheryou want to vote a traditional
cardstock ballot like I havehere, or you want to use the
(17:10):
ballot marking device.
The ballot marking device is atouchscreen.
Basically, it affordsindividuals to vote
independently.
So if you're blind, I take myglasses.
I can't read the ballots.
Maybe English or Spanish.
Maybe you're functionallyilliterate in those two
languages and you want to hearthe audio.
Maybe you're colorblind and youcan see the contrast yes, so
(17:31):
you could vote independently.
Historically, individuals, priorto the onset of the
touchscreens, you need a lovedone or a bipartisan teams of
poll workers to help you readthe ballot and fill in the
bubbles Right.
But now, with the ballotmarking device, which is the new
name for the touchscreen, it'sbeen in place since 2002 in
Maryland, after the 2000elections, you could vote
(17:53):
independently.
Once you go through and youfill in the bubbles, you read
the instructions.
The ballot is bilingual.
We do not have an English orSpanish version, it's all on one
.
Just read, fill in the bubbles,use the pen that they will
provide you at the polling place, or you use the ballot marking
device to make your selectionson the touchscreen and you print
your activator card and then,either the activator card or the
(18:16):
ballot, you will take it to thescanning unit and then they
will scan it and then you'll getyour I voted sticker and you
can go home and celebrate.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
All right, go home and celebrate, because you voted
.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Yes, and you get the sticker.
That's what we want the I votedsticker, the infamous sticker.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
You put it on Facebook, on Instagram and on X
and all those things.
Let people know that you votedand you did your duty as a
citizen of the United States ofAmerica.
Montgomery County, Maryland.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
And when you post it, just tag us at 777 vote, right
At 777 vote.
We want to see those stories.
We're here to serve and alsofor any suggestions moving
forward.
There is a common car and alittle survey that we'll ask for
you to fill out anyrecommendations, and I could
tell you that we do read everysingle one of them.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Oh, wow, any recommendations, and I could
tell you that we do read everysingle one of them.
Oh, wow, so people havefeedback on the voting process
in the county or theirexperience in the county, or if
they have questions, that'sanother way they can do.
That is through at 777-VOTE.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Yes, and they could call our office and they could
do the comment cards when theyare done with their voting
experience in person on electionday.
But at the end of the day we'rehere to serve and remember.
There's three ways to vote bymail or during early voting,
from the 24th through the 31stof October.
And then the last opportunitywill be on election day.
But also keep in mind we alsohave 58 ballot drop boxes across
(19:32):
the county.
And this is where a lot ofindividuals almost half of our
voters are depositing orreturning their mail-in ballots.
So if you need to ascertain thenearest drop box and you don't
have your sample ballot, youknow, I'm gonna tell you text
the word.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
What do you?
Speaker 3 (19:48):
think it's gonna be right drop drop box.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
No, it's even easier, easier, yeah no box yes box and
seven888 and what else, vm, Idon't know, not your zip code
box and your zip code to 777-888and it'll give you the nearest
Dropbox and also give you thelink to the USPS post office
locator since everything is inyour hand.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
We got an award by the US Election Assistance
Commission for that series oftexting prompts we initiated in
2018, not knowing that in 2020it would.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
It came in very handy with covid right, because
nobody wanted to get nearanybody, so everybody was
texting um.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
But yeah, text the word box, okay, uh, and your zip
code to 77788 and make surethere's a space between the x
and the first number two, right?
because, Montgomery County zipcodes.
Start with the two um andthey'll give you all that
information in your hands and soyou'll identify the drop box.
Deposit and please, it's open.
We've gotten so many calls.
(20:47):
Is it open?
It looks closed.
Voters, please do me a favor,get out your car, walk to the
box.
There's literally like threehours.
No one huge arrow pointing up,three hours pointing down to a
slot.
There's a slot, right it, it'sopen.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
It's open 25 hours a day, eight days a week, okay, so
it's open, it's always open andit's never closed it is.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
We will close it on november 5th 8 pm and the reason
I say this.
So, number one, get out your carand just push that rain flap
Right.
We apologize, it's dark, so itseems like it's closed.
So save yourself a trip to theoffice or a call.
Get out of your car, walk to it, push it through.
It's there.
And every morning we're pickingup, including on Sundays.
(21:35):
We have bipartisan teams thatare selected at random to pick
up the mail-in ballots in eachof the 58 drop boxes, and right
now we're going to initiate ourpre-election mail-in canvas,
which are being held inMontgomery College Germantown
campus.
All of the information is on ourwebsite, which is 777voteorg,
(21:56):
you could observe democracy inaction how we canvass all of the
mail-in ballots.
Right now.
We're about 160,000 requestsin-house by the time we're doing
this show.
It's about give and take over42,000, 43,000 return mail-in
ballots.
So we're going to pre-election.
We're going to pre-canvassthose, so it's also live stream
(22:17):
If you can't make it toGermantown we believe in
transparency, as opposed tomaking unfounded comments.
go to the Board of Elections orgo to the Germantown campus and
observe Democracy in Action andask all of your questions,
because we want you to empoweryou by giving you facts.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
So people can ask questions there when they're
observing.
Yeah, we're here to serve.
That's great, okay, awesome.
I think we covered a lot ofthings.
I'm not sure we coveredeverything, but you mentioned a
few times sample ballots.
What are sample ballots?
What's on there?
Why are they significant?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
It's important because everything that we
discuss, all of the wonderfultexting prompts and dates and
deadlines- is there in print, inEnglish and in Spanish.
And then also, depending on yourcongressional district, will be
your corresponding ballot style.
So that is not the officialballot that you'll be leveraging
or voting in person or mailingin.
You will be given the officialpacket if you're only by mail
(23:17):
and if you're voting in person,you will get the official card
stock ballot.
So that's basically everythingthat we discuss in print,
English and Spanish.
There's a nice map that outlaysall of the early voting centers
.
It lists all of the 58 dropboxes and the addresses.
There's one page that has allof the different texting prompts
(23:38):
that you could leverage to getinformation.
It's bilingual and then it hasall the steps different texting
prompts that you could leverageto get information.
It's bilingual and then it hasall the steps, the bells and
whistles on how to vote by mail.
What are the return deadlines?
The deadline to request amail-in ballot the traditional
cardstock ballot with all theinformation is October 29th.
If you're voting web delivery,it's November 1st.
(23:58):
Okay, those are the deadlinesand so the sample ballot.
If you misplaced it, you couldgo on our website at 777voteorg
and you could download yourcorresponding sample ballot
voter information and then, ifyou need to ascertain which is
your congressional district,just text the word check to
77788 and they'll tell you whichis your congressional district.
Just text the word check to77788.
(24:19):
And they'll tell you which isyour congressional district.
You could actually downloadyour sample ballot, which is
just the ballots, but the votinginformation you could print
from our website.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
All right, all right, so a few takeaways.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
If you're voting early, you can vote almost
anywhere correct, yeah, any ofthe 14 centers, if you're voting
the day of you need to vote atyour your precinct.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You should go to your particular precinct, but if you
know how traffic is in thisarea, oh yeah, if you're in
silver spring and you got torush all the way up to
germantown.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Let's say, and it's 7 45.
You know you're not going tomake it, so just find the
closest polling place and youwill vote a provisional ballot.
But we're telling this inadvance this is is not a
surprise election, right?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
So?
Speaker 3 (24:59):
you really shouldn't have.
We really shouldn't haveprovisional voting, except it's
safeguards if you really are notregistered to vote and you want
to exercise your right.
But nonetheless, we'll doeverything to lay out the kind
of the tools so you cansuccessfully navigate the
process.
But keep in mind way back when,hundreds of years ago, only
(25:20):
white male landowners had theright to vote, and the reasons
on a Tuesday you had to walk toAnnapolis.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
You had to walk to Annapolis.
You had to walk to.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Annapolis.
So, you know, saturday nightyou put your mule and your you
know your horse away and youstarted walking because you
wouldn't take your work animal,your farm, you know, because
that's your tool to get injured,sick or stolen.
So you started walking and notmany people would take the train
to Annapolis because it wasvery expensive.
So you weren't hitching a ride,you were walking.
(25:49):
And so by the time and you madeit as far as you can Saturday
night.
Sunday, you woke up under thestars or under a bunch of trees,
and you know it's the day ofworship, so you didn't walk.
You, or under a bunch of trees,and you know it's the day of
worship, so you didn't walk, youprayed.
It was Sunday and then onMonday you started again really
early, walking as far as you can, and then you go to bed and
then you woke up.
Tuesday you try to make it, youvote and you go back to your
farm.
So now, from that to today, 45days in advance, you have
(26:13):
mail-in ballots, eightconsecutive days of early voting
, from the 24th through the 31stof October, and then the last
opportunity.
We have over 240 odd pollingplaces on election day.
So pick one, flex it, vote andwe'll see you in 2026.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Wonderful, wonderful.
And that's what's happening,moco All the information you
need when it comes to voting inMontgomery County, maryland,
right there at your fingertips,thanks to Dr Z.
If you have any questions, ofcourse, you go to the website,
which is 777-VOTE, and if youwant to do all these other
dynamic things via text message,we'll put them up on the screen
around this time.
(26:48):
Or you could check out theFacebook post and we'll make
sure to include some of those onthe Facebook post along with
tagging at 777-VOTE, which is avery easy way to remember the
Board of Elections forMontgomery County, maryland.
Yes, thank you, dr Z.
My pleasure, all right.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Thanks for listening to what's Happening, moco.
Please subscribe via yourfavorite podcasting platform and
follow us on Facebook.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
Government.
Connect with us via cable,facebook, instagram or YouTube
(27:26):
by searching for County CableMoCo.
Good day and welcome to what's Happening MoCo, an
authentic unscripted podcastfrom your Montgomery County
government.
Now here's your host, derekKenney.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good day, welcome to what's Happening, moco.
Today's episode is all aboutvoter empowerment.
We're going to make sure thatyou, the voters of Montgomery
County, maryland, are empoweredwith information.
And when we think aboutempowerment and information and
voting, we think about Dr Z, drGilberto Zelaya.
He's the information and publicrelations officer for
(00:37):
Montgomery County, maryland'sBoard of Elections.
How are you today, sir?
Good, energized, empowered, allright, great, great.
I think we'll all be empoweredafter we have this conversation.
Major vote coming this year.
Yes, we will be voting for thepresidential election.
There's other major things thatpeople will be voting for and
there's always concern in somerespects when it comes to voting
(01:01):
.
People can never have enoughinformation.
Sometimes there's surprises forpeople when they arrive to vote
in person, or they thought theycould vote at a certain time of
year, and all those things.
But we're going to clear all ofthat stuff up, yes, but before
we do that, let's talk about you.
Okay, you are the PR guy forthe Board of.
Elections the community guyresponsible for educating the
(01:22):
public.
What is it that you do in yourrole?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
So I was blessed to be hired at the Montgomery
County Board of Elections since2003.
So I have over two decades, andwhen I initiated this endeavor,
voters had two options to vote.
Number one by mail or akaabsentee, and you needed a
reason to vote in that way,whether it's illness,
(01:47):
professional, personal endeavors, et cetera.
And then the other opportunitywas in person voting, which was
basically election day.
Now, my responsibility I serveas a liaison between Montgomery
County's diverse electorate.
We have a wonderful electoratewhere we have individuals that
are multidimensional,multicultural, multigenerational
(02:09):
.
We have to look at our seniorsas well as our new voters.
We have to look at our diverseelectorate because many are
newly naturalized and they'renot maybe familiar with the way
we run elections in the state ofMaryland.
Keep in mind full disclosure.
We follow the rules andregulations established by the
Maryland State Board ofElections and the state
legislature.
So really I am that kind ofglue that brings the community's
(02:33):
needs and understanding toexercise the right to vote, and
our job as a team is to ensurethat we have transparent and
accessible elections.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Oh, wow.
So where are we now in thetimeline of getting ready for a
major vote?
Where are we now?
What are some of the deadlinesthat have passed thus far and
what are some of the deadlineswe need to be aware of as we
prepare to be ready to vote thisfall?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Okay.
So one of the deadlines thatsince passed is the October 15th
deadline to it's called theadvanced voter registration
deadline.
Nonetheless, if you moved intothe county past the 15th or you
were just you slept on it andyou just were procrastinating,
it's okay, we have somethingcalled same day voter
registration.
You would report at one of our14 early voting centers from
(03:21):
Thursday the 24th of Octoberthrough Thursday the 31st of
October, from 7 am to 8 pm, oron election day, which is
Tuesday, November 5th, betweenthe hours of 7 and 8.
And you could bring a Marylanddriver's license or a learner's
permit or an MVA ID.
Now, if you don't have thosethree forms of ID, you could
(03:43):
bring a bank statement, utilitybill, a governmental document, a
leasing agreement, somethingofficial that has your name and
current Montgomery Countyaddress, and then we'll go
through the bells and whistles,register you and afford you the
opportunity to vote.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
OK, I think that's important to repeat and I know
you said a lot.
Yeah, it's a lot, but what Igather is that there is no firm
limit to your ability toregister, to vote or to
participate in this election ifyou have the right documentation
.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Correct, correct.
So definitely bring a Marylanddriver's license, either a
learner's permit or an MVA MotorVehicles Administration ID.
Or, if you don't have thosethree forms of state ID, you
could bring a bank statement,utility bill, lease, an
agreement, something that hasyour name and Montgomery County
(04:35):
address.
And then you would presentduring the early voting season
or on election day.
You would talk to the check-inelection judge, same day
registration judge, and they'llhelp you through the process to
vote and at any time, even ifyou just come off the street and
you don't have an ID, they willprovide you a provisional
ballot.
But we will still need to gothrough the checks and balances
(04:56):
to verify who you are before youcould actually vote and scan a
ballot in our scanning unit.
But if you vote provisionallyat any time because we can
identify you in a poll book oryou have no ID on you and
whatnot, there's mechanismswhere we won't turn you away.
But we also want to keep themechanism safeguarded and then
(05:19):
we will do our due diligence toresearch that provisional ballot
submission and then we willascertain whether we will
incorporate that into the canvasor not.
And nonetheless, what'sinteresting, that provisional
ballot application doubles as avoter registration application.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So for the next election 2026,.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
You're good to go.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Oh, okay, very good.
Very good, and that answersanother question what do you say
to people that have concernsabout people voting without
having adequately identifiedthemselves?
But you already mentioned thatthere's various ways that you
ensure that a person is who theyare, and I guess we can say
that one more time.
So in case someone missed itthe first couple of times, they
(06:02):
get it.
There is a process.
People are better.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, so full disclosure.
There are rules and regulationsscripted by the Maryland State
Board of Elections and the statelegislature.
We do not make the rules, weonly follow them.
So, depending on thecircumstance, when you show up
to vote in person, whetherduring early voting or on
election day, you may be askedto present an ID.
If you don't have a form ofvalid ID, you will vote
provisionally and then we willdo our checks and balances.
(06:29):
So it's always important tocarry an ID, just because right.
But those are the rules and wefollow them.
If, if and I understand thereare some feelings out there and
we get that.
We respect everyone's opinion.
But once again, we followed therules and regulations scripted
by the Maryland State Board ofElections and or the state
legislature.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
All right, and again, Dr Z does that make the rules.
So you see Dr Z in the streetor you see him on election day.
Do not get upset with him.
His job is to make sure youknow what the rules are.
That we are in MontgomeryCounty is compliant to the rules
of the state, Correct Now?
Now about what is early voting,what's considered by early
voting, and then what are someof the ways you can vote early
(07:09):
nowadays?
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
So the early voting season will start on Thursday,
october 24th through Thursday,october 31st, so even that
weekend we have 14 early votingcenters across Montgomery County
.
They will be open from 7 am to8 pm.
You are not tied to the nearestor closest early voting center,
so if you live up county andyou're visiting loved ones down
(07:33):
county and you're near theSilver Springs Civic Building,
you could vote there.
You don't have to rush upcounty to look for the one
closest to your home address.
Having said that, if you'rerunning around errands between
the 24th and the 31st of Octoberand you don't know where to go
because maybe you left yoursample ballot at home, all you
do is get your cell phone andtext the letters E and V for
(07:55):
early voting E and V and yourzip code to 77788, three sevens,
two eights and, which isinteresting, during the early
voting period, that system, thattexting prompt, will give you
the nearest early voting center,driving directions and, most
important, wait times.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
OK, all right, I'm a little slow, so let's back it up
one more time.
Wait times okay, all right, I'ma little slow, so let's let's
back it up one more time.
So if, if someone texts to uh,77788 they text their um ev and
a zip code and a zip code andmake sure that so it's.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
it doesn't have to be caps, right, okay, it's just
the letters e and v, okay, andthen have a space and then put
the first, the full five, five,the five digits of your social.
So Montgomery County, ouroffice is in Gaithersburg, so I
would text E-N-V, space 20879.
And the number is 77788.
And that text only works duringtheir early voting season, the
(08:50):
24th through the 31st of October.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
That's amazing.
So you have a cell phone.
You're not lost.
So if you're not, a cell phone,you're not lost Exactly If
you're not a paper person andyou're not walking around with a
briefcase full of papers.
Or you didn't remember to bringyour manila folder with the
voting stuff and all thepreparation and research you've
done as a great voters that weare responsible voters that we
are.
You can text 77788.
The EV is then your zip code.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Correct, and that's it, and that's it, and that's it
, and it'll give you the nearestearly voting location, driving
directions and, most importantly, wait times, which is kind of
neat.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Now what if I'm at home and I'm trying to do the
research of how I'm going to domy voting this year?
I'm going to plan it out.
I'm going to early vote here.
I'm going to do this there.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
What website do I go to or who do I call?
Go to our website, obviously,which is www.777voteorg.
777voteorg.
All the information is on there.
Or you could call our office at240-777-8500.
240-777-8500.
And you see the common theme of777, right, keep it very easy
there.
Yeah, yeah, but also sometimesit confuses people, but
(10:00):
everything is on our website.
We're there to serve.
We have bilingual staff membersthat can help out as well.
Every registered voter will bemailed a sample ballot with all
that information.
It's bilingual.
In Montgomery County, we'reunder Section 203 of the 1975
Voter Rights Act.
That's how I came to join theBoard of Elections and you'll
(10:22):
notice that our ballots, oursample ballots, poll workers,
signage everything is in Englishand Spanish.
It's a federal requirement.
It's a federal requirement andafter the 2000, the 2010, and
the 2020 decennial census, theDepartment of Justice states we
have to implement that secondlanguage into our entire process
(10:43):
.
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Wow, okay, wow.
So that's mandatory.
So you're following directions.
If anyone has a question why doyou have Spanish and English
and not Spanish and somethingelse, or English and something
else?
That that's the reason why.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yes, it goes through the census.
Yes, correct.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And you mentioned that there are language
accommodations for people.
Since we have one of the mostdiverse counties, it is In not
just Maryland but America.
Yes, there's ways that peoplecan go to not only the website
or make phone calls Correct, wecan find someone to talk to them
or we can provide them withinformation in a language
they're comfortable with.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Correct.
We do a lot of activerecruiting.
We visit all high schools.
We do over close to 550community events throughout the
county.
I don't think anyone couldtouch us 550 events.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
There's only 365 days in the year.
We do a lot, so even like today.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
myself, I did three.
This is my third one, so thisis an event.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
This is an opportunity right To educate
people.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
This weekend we have, I believe, four on Saturday and
three on Sunday leading up toearly voting.
It's our job to serve at theend of the day, and this is year
round.
This is not oh, it's 90 daystill election day.
Let's do some outreach.
We also do this in the oddyears between the presidential
and the midterm gubernatorial,so we're always circulating
(11:57):
because someone is alwaysturning 16 years of age to
register, someone is becoming anaturalized citizen, someone is
turning of age to vote for thefirst time.
So we're cognizant that theelectorate is changing and
individuals need services.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Is there anything special or what are some of the
things that people that arevoting for the first time should
consider?
If you're just turning 18 orwhatever you are and it's your
first election.
You're going to get there tothe box, or whatever.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
What should they be mindful of?
Well, be mindful that there's alot of legwork that's taken
place before giving you theopportunity to vote at the
ballot box, right To vote in oneof these paper ballots.
It's important that your voteis your voice at the end of the
day right.
So this is your opportunity toflex your constitutional right
to vote.
Obviously, we prepare for ahundred percent turnout.
(12:49):
There's multiple ways to vote,whether you're voting by mail,
right, so there's active ballotscirculating now If you want to.
If you have a desire to vote bymail because you're just busy
and you can't vote early, or onelection day, all you need to do
is text the letters VBM to77788.
Really easy VBM, vbm to 77788.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
If you want to vote, you want to vote by mail-in
ballot by mail.
A mail-in ballot EVM V for voteby mail.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Victor Bob.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Mindy, yeah, all right, okay, vbm.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
VBM, vbm.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Yeah so 777-888-VBM.
All right Technology.
That's great.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Exactly, and so we'll go through the process.
We verify you are registered tovote, and then we will mail you
your vote-by-mail packet.
Now, if you are voting what wecall web delivery or internet
prints at home ballots this isone of the kind of the web
(13:49):
delivery that you will print atthe office.
As you see, it's eight by, wasit eight?
and a half by 11?
What's interesting is we cannotscan this in our high velocity
scanners.
So then we're going to have wehave to formulate bipartisan
teams to duplicate your webdelivery print at home ballot
onto the official ballot.
It's a whole process.
We get it.
It's a convenience.
(14:11):
We're definitely not amazoncom,so you're going to have to wait
for your ballot.
There's a process.
We want to count once and getit right the first time.
But if you're voting webdelivery or print at home
ballots, we're going to need toduplicate it onto the official
one.
It takes some time.
At this moment we're over, Ibelieve, 28,000 web delivery
(14:31):
ballots requested.
Yeah, it's high, and most ofthe voters they're not in some
remote country in Latin Americaor Africa doing research,
they're here in MontgomeryCounty, in Gaithersburg,
Rockville.
That's how you choose.
Great, but we're here to serve.
I just wanted to share.
If you're voting a print athome ballot, we're going to have
to duplicate it onto theofficial cardstock before we can
(14:52):
actually canvas and also wecould actually scan and tabulate
on election day.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Okay, so.
So if you do web, if you do theuh, the web process, then
somebody will be doing themanual process.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
We'll have bipartisan team one registered Democrat,
one registered Republican orunaffiliated voter.
We go through the processbecause we can scan that eight
and a half by 11 sheet of paper.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
And that's a fair process.
Now, speaking of the manualprocess, let's talk about the
manual process, let's talk aboutwhat people can expect.
You walk to the precinct thatyou want to attend.
You're standing in line, byyourself or with loved ones or
your neighbors.
You're waiting in line, andwhat happens as you move forward
?
Speaker 3 (15:35):
So let's start this really quickly from home.
You're home and you want tovote by.
You want to vote in person?
It's election day.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
November 5th.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
You didn't leverage the 14 centers during early
voting from the 24th through the31st of October.
You woke up and you're like.
You know what?
I'm going to go get milk andeggs.
I also want to go vote right,it's election day.
But what do I do?
I don't have my sample ballot.
I misplaced it, I recycled it.
Get your cell phone text theword check to 77788, check to
(16:06):
77788.
And you can ascertain which isyour election day polling place.
Unlike early voting, you shouldgo to the one that's identified
according to your residentialaddress.
So do not assume that theschool or the facility up the
street is where you actuallywill vote on election day.
If you go to a differentpolling place that doesn't
correspond to your residentialaddress, you will vote a
provisional ballot.
Okay, and then we'll researchwhy was this person out of
(16:27):
precinct?
And we do our bells andwhistles before we could
incorporate into the canvas,Nonetheless, text the word check
to 77788.
Or look at the back cover ofyour sample ballot to ascertain
where you should vote onelection day.
Or call the office Once youshow up and you get in line.
Obviously there's a check-inprocess.
They'll ask some particulars ofsome personal information.
(16:49):
They'll ask your name, etcetera, and then from there you
sign the voter authority card,you affirm the name, the address
, date of birth, etc.
Party affiliation.
Then you will go to the ballottable and that's where they'll
give you the option of whetheryou want to vote a traditional
cardstock ballot like I havehere, or you want to use the
(17:10):
ballot marking device.
The ballot marking device is atouchscreen.
Basically, it affordsindividuals to vote
independently.
So if you're blind, I take myglasses.
I can't read the ballots.
Maybe English or Spanish.
Maybe you're functionallyilliterate in those two
languages and you want to hearthe audio.
Maybe you're colorblind and youcan see the contrast yes, so
(17:31):
you could vote independently.
Historically, individuals, priorto the onset of the
touchscreens, you need a lovedone or a bipartisan teams of
poll workers to help you readthe ballot and fill in the
bubbles Right.
But now, with the ballotmarking device, which is the new
name for the touchscreen, it'sbeen in place since 2002 in
Maryland, after the 2000elections, you could vote
(17:53):
independently.
Once you go through and youfill in the bubbles, you read
the instructions.
The ballot is bilingual.
We do not have an English orSpanish version, it's all on one
.
Just read, fill in the bubbles,use the pen that they will
provide you at the polling place, or you use the ballot marking
device to make your selectionson the touchscreen and you print
your activator card and then,either the activator card or the
(18:16):
ballot, you will take it to thescanning unit and then they
will scan it and then you'll getyour I voted sticker and you
can go home and celebrate.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
All right, go home and celebrate, because you voted
.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Yes, and you get the sticker.
That's what we want the I votedsticker, the infamous sticker.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
You put it on Facebook, on Instagram and on X
and all those things.
Let people know that you votedand you did your duty as a
citizen of the United States ofAmerica.
Montgomery County, Maryland.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
And when you post it, just tag us at 777 vote, right
At 777 vote.
We want to see those stories.
We're here to serve and alsofor any suggestions moving
forward.
There is a common car and alittle survey that we'll ask for
you to fill out anyrecommendations, and I could
tell you that we do read everysingle one of them.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Oh, wow, any recommendations, and I could
tell you that we do read everysingle one of them.
Oh, wow, so people havefeedback on the voting process
in the county or theirexperience in the county, or if
they have questions, that'sanother way they can do.
That is through at 777-VOTE.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Yes, and they could call our office and they could
do the comment cards when theyare done with their voting
experience in person on electionday.
But at the end of the day we'rehere to serve and remember.
There's three ways to vote bymail or during early voting,
from the 24th through the 31stof October.
And then the last opportunitywill be on election day.
But also keep in mind we alsohave 58 ballot drop boxes across
(19:32):
the county.
And this is where a lot ofindividuals almost half of our
voters are depositing orreturning their mail-in ballots.
So if you need to ascertain thenearest drop box and you don't
have your sample ballot, youknow, I'm gonna tell you text
the word.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
What do you?
Speaker 3 (19:48):
think it's gonna be right drop drop box.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
No, it's even easier, easier, yeah no box yes box and
seven888 and what else, vm, Idon't know, not your zip code
box and your zip code to 777-888and it'll give you the nearest
Dropbox and also give you thelink to the USPS post office
locator since everything is inyour hand.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
We got an award by the US Election Assistance
Commission for that series oftexting prompts we initiated in
2018, not knowing that in 2020it would.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
It came in very handy with covid right, because
nobody wanted to get nearanybody, so everybody was
texting um.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
But yeah, text the word box, okay, uh, and your zip
code to 77788 and make surethere's a space between the x
and the first number two, right?
because, Montgomery County zipcodes.
Start with the two um andthey'll give you all that
information in your hands and soyou'll identify the drop box.
Deposit and please, it's open.
We've gotten so many calls.
(20:47):
Is it open?
It looks closed.
Voters, please do me a favor,get out your car, walk to the
box.
There's literally like threehours.
No one huge arrow pointing up,three hours pointing down to a
slot.
There's a slot, right it, it'sopen.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
It's open 25 hours a day, eight days a week, okay, so
it's open, it's always open andit's never closed it is.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
We will close it on november 5th 8 pm and the reason
I say this.
So, number one, get out your carand just push that rain flap
Right.
We apologize, it's dark, so itseems like it's closed.
So save yourself a trip to theoffice or a call.
Get out of your car, walk to it, push it through.
It's there.
And every morning we're pickingup, including on Sundays.
(21:35):
We have bipartisan teams thatare selected at random to pick
up the mail-in ballots in eachof the 58 drop boxes, and right
now we're going to initiate ourpre-election mail-in canvas,
which are being held inMontgomery College Germantown
campus.
All of the information is on ourwebsite, which is 777voteorg,
(21:56):
you could observe democracy inaction how we canvass all of the
mail-in ballots.
Right now.
We're about 160,000 requestsin-house by the time we're doing
this show.
It's about give and take over42,000, 43,000 return mail-in
ballots.
So we're going to pre-election.
We're going to pre-canvassthose, so it's also live stream
(22:17):
If you can't make it toGermantown we believe in
transparency, as opposed tomaking unfounded comments.
go to the Board of Elections orgo to the Germantown campus and
observe Democracy in Action andask all of your questions,
because we want you to empoweryou by giving you facts.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
So people can ask questions there when they're
observing.
Yeah, we're here to serve.
That's great, okay, awesome.
I think we covered a lot ofthings.
I'm not sure we coveredeverything, but you mentioned a
few times sample ballots.
What are sample ballots?
What's on there?
Why are they significant?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
It's important because everything that we
discuss, all of the wonderfultexting prompts and dates and
deadlines- is there in print, inEnglish and in Spanish.
And then also, depending on yourcongressional district, will be
your corresponding ballot style.
So that is not the officialballot that you'll be leveraging
or voting in person or mailingin.
You will be given the officialpacket if you're only by mail
(23:17):
and if you're voting in person,you will get the official card
stock ballot.
So that's basically everythingthat we discuss in print,
English and Spanish.
There's a nice map that outlaysall of the early voting centers
.
It lists all of the 58 dropboxes and the addresses.
There's one page that has allof the different texting prompts
(23:38):
that you could leverage to getinformation.
It's bilingual and then it hasall the steps different texting
prompts that you could leverageto get information.
It's bilingual and then it hasall the steps, the bells and
whistles on how to vote by mail.
What are the return deadlines?
The deadline to request amail-in ballot the traditional
cardstock ballot with all theinformation is October 29th.
If you're voting web delivery,it's November 1st.
(23:58):
Okay, those are the deadlinesand so the sample ballot.
If you misplaced it, you couldgo on our website at 777voteorg
and you could download yourcorresponding sample ballot
voter information and then, ifyou need to ascertain which is
your congressional district,just text the word check to
77788 and they'll tell you whichis your congressional district.
Just text the word check to77788.
(24:19):
And they'll tell you which isyour congressional district.
You could actually downloadyour sample ballot, which is
just the ballots, but the votinginformation you could print
from our website.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
All right, all right, so a few takeaways.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
If you're voting early, you can vote almost
anywhere correct, yeah, any ofthe 14 centers, if you're voting
the day of you need to vote atyour your precinct.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You should go to your particular precinct, but if you
know how traffic is in thisarea, oh yeah, if you're in
silver spring and you got torush all the way up to
germantown.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Let's say, and it's 7 45.
You know you're not going tomake it, so just find the
closest polling place and youwill vote a provisional ballot.
But we're telling this inadvance this is is not a
surprise election, right?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
So?
Speaker 3 (24:59):
you really shouldn't have.
We really shouldn't haveprovisional voting, except it's
safeguards if you really are notregistered to vote and you want
to exercise your right.
But nonetheless, we'll doeverything to lay out the kind
of the tools so you cansuccessfully navigate the
process.
But keep in mind way back when,hundreds of years ago, only
(25:20):
white male landowners had theright to vote, and the reasons
on a Tuesday you had to walk toAnnapolis.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
You had to walk to Annapolis.
You had to walk to.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Annapolis.
So, you know, saturday nightyou put your mule and your you
know your horse away and youstarted walking because you
wouldn't take your work animal,your farm, you know, because
that's your tool to get injured,sick or stolen.
So you started walking and notmany people would take the train
to Annapolis because it wasvery expensive.
So you weren't hitching a ride,you were walking.
(25:49):
And so by the time and you madeit as far as you can Saturday
night.
Sunday, you woke up under thestars or under a bunch of trees,
and you know it's the day ofworship, so you didn't walk.
You, or under a bunch of trees,and you know it's the day of
worship, so you didn't walk, youprayed.
It was Sunday and then onMonday you started again really
early, walking as far as you can, and then you go to bed and
then you woke up.
Tuesday you try to make it, youvote and you go back to your
farm.
So now, from that to today, 45days in advance, you have
(26:13):
mail-in ballots, eightconsecutive days of early voting
, from the 24th through the 31stof October, and then the last
opportunity.
We have over 240 odd pollingplaces on election day.
So pick one, flex it, vote andwe'll see you in 2026.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Wonderful, wonderful.
And that's what's happening,moco All the information you
need when it comes to voting inMontgomery County, maryland,
right there at your fingertips,thanks to Dr Z.
If you have any questions, ofcourse, you go to the website,
which is 777-VOTE, and if youwant to do all these other
dynamic things via text message,we'll put them up on the screen
around this time.
(26:48):
Or you could check out theFacebook post and we'll make
sure to include some of those onthe Facebook post along with
tagging at 777-VOTE, which is avery easy way to remember the
Board of Elections forMontgomery County, maryland.
Yes, thank you, dr Z.
My pleasure, all right.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Thanks for listening to what's Happening, moco.
Please subscribe via yourfavorite podcasting platform and
follow us on Facebook.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
Government.
Connect with us via cable,facebook, instagram or YouTube
(27:26):
by searching for County CableMoCo.
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