Transcript: Welcome to the Online Ballot Delivery System

[Title: Welcome.]

[Music plays.]

[The login screen of the Online Ballot Delivery system is displayed.]

Narrator: Welcome to the Maryland State Board of Elections Online Ballot Delivery System. This system allows you to access and print your mail-in ballot from just about anywhere. Here’s a few quick tips before you start.

[An illustration of an office appears with a desk, a clock, and a window revealing a blue sky and sunny day.]

Narrator: Make sure you have access to the right equipment. You will need a computer and a printer.

[A computer and printer appear on the desk. The computer screen displays the login screen for the online ballot delivery system.]

Narrator: We don’t recommend using a mobile device.

[A cell phone with a red circle and a line through it appears.]

Narrator: Don’t wait until the last minute. Life happens, so give yourself plenty of time to download your ballot and get assistance if the need arises.

[Storm clouds cover the sky and lightning flashes. The office loses electricity, causing the room to dim and the computer screen to go blank. The clock is briefly highlighted for emphasis.]

Narrator: When using the online ballot delivery system, there are two ways to download your ballot. You can download your blank ballot and mark it by hand.

[A green background with a demonstration ballot is displayed. An illustration of a pen appears near the ballot.]

Narrator:  Or, mark the ballot online using the system’s ballot marking tool.

[The pen disappears.]

Narrator: When using the ballot marking tool, make sure to download and print your ballot after making your selections, since the selections are not saved in the system.

[The office reappears with a sunny sky visible through the window. The computer’s screen displays the online ballot delivery system’s ‘Envelope Printing Instructions and Log Out’ screen. An illustration of a mailbox with its door open is on the left.]

Narrator: After using our online ballot delivery system, your voted ballot must be printed and mailed to your local board of election office, or dropped off at a secure drop box that will be avaiable statewide. You cannot email your voted ballot.

[A ballot emerges from the printer in the office. An envelope labeled ‘Voted Mail-in Ballot’ appears and is inserted into the mailbox. The mailbox fades. An illustration of the ballot drop boxes appears.]

Narrator: If you email your voted ballot to your local election office, it won’t count.

After you’ve mailed and dropped off your voted ballot, you can check and see if your local election office received it by using our voter look-up site.

[The Voter Look-Up website and its URL are displayed. The Voter Look-Up website’s url is: vote.md.gov/search]

Narrator: And last but not least, know your deadlines. Your mail-in ballot must be post-marked on or before 8 pm Election Day in order to count. If you have any questions, please contact your local election office or email us at absentee.sbe@maryland.gov.

[The Maryland State Board of Elections email address for questions about absentee voting is displayed. The email is: absentee.sbe@maryland.gov]