Like in D.C. and Virginia, the coming election in Maryland is expected to be quite different than in the past. Already, more than 646,000 people have requested mail-in ballots in order to vote from home, and the State Board of Elections is making other accommodations in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to a shortage of poll workers, the state will not be opening its usual 1,800 polling places; instead, the board plans to open 360 larger voting centers around the state. Voters can go to any of the centers in their county or jurisdiction to cast their ballot during early voting or on Election Day. However, election officials say they prefer that people vote early — and by mail.

We’ve compiled and answered some of the basic questions you may have about casting your ballot this fall in Maryland; check out our guides for D.C. and Virginia.

What dates should I put on my calendar?

• End of September: Mail ballots start arriving. Eligible voters will need to fill out a mail-in ballot application either through the mail or online prior to getting their ballot.
• Oct. 13: Deadline to register to vote. If you miss this, fear not: Maryland does have same-day voter registration during early voting and on Election Day. (You will need a Maryland issued license or ID-card.)
• Oct. 20: Mail-in ballot applications are due. Otherwise, you will have to vote in person.
• Oct. 26: Early voting starts and runs through the weekend.
• Nov. 3: Election Day! Mailing in a ballot? It has to be postmarked or dropped off at a drop box by the end of the day.

What’s on the ballot?

Maryland voters will be asked to make selections for U.S. president, vice president, and all eight U.S. House of Representative seats. Most notably, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) is running for reelection against Republican challenger Gregory Coll, Rep. David Trone (D) is running for reelection against Republican State Delegate Neil Parrott, Rep. Anthony Brown (D) is running for reelection against George McDermott, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D) is running for reelection against Republican challenger Chris Palombi.

Seats for judges in the State Supreme Court, Appellate Court, and local courts are also on the ballot. Public school boards in Prince George’s, Montgomery, Howard, and Anne Arundel counties and those counties’ smaller municipal governments will also be holding elections for seats.

Two statewide referenda questions will also appear on the ballot. The first question asks whether the General Assembly should have the authority starting in 2024 to add or subtract money from the state’s yearly budget. (Currently, lawmakers can only subtract money from the governor’s budget proposal, not increase or reallocate it.) The second question is asking voters if sports betting should be legalized and taxed.

How do I register to vote or change my address?

You can register to vote and change your address online or submit a voter registration application to your local or the state board of elections. Applications must be postmarked by Oct. 13 at 9 p.m.

You can also register to vote during early voting or on Election Day at a voting center in your county. You must provide proof of residence in the form of a driver’s license, a paycheck, a utility bill, or another government document.

The State Board of Elections is encouraging people who want to change their address to do so before the voter registration deadline rather than waiting until early voting or Election Day. If you can’t do it before in-person voting starts, you can go to any voting center in your county to change your address — and then vote.

How can I vote?

Maryland will offer in-person voting on Election Day, eight days of early voting, and voting by mail.

Can I vote in-person before Election Day?

Yes! Early voting starts Monday, Oct. 26 and goes to Monday, Nov. 2. At least 80 voting centers will be open daily between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. — including Saturday and Sunday. You can go to any of the voting centers in your county. Here is a list of all the early voting centers in the state by county.

Can I vote by mail?

Yes, but unlike the primary election, you will need to request a mail-in ballot. (This is the new name for an absentee ballot.) You can do this one of three ways: via the SBE website, by filling out the ballot application that every eligible voter received in the mail, or you can apply for a ballot at your local board of elections. You can also request that your ballot be sent to you via email. You will have to print that out and mail it back or drop it in one of your county’s drop drop boxes. Ballot applications must be received by your local board by Oct. 20.

OK, I returned by ballot application, now what?

Marylanders should start to receive ballots in the mail at the end of September. If you want to track that your ballot application has been processed you can go to the SBE website to check.

Once you receive your ballot, fill it out in black ink, sign the return envelope, and mail in back as soon as possible. All ballots must be postmarked before or on Election Day, Nov. 3 or placed in a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day. There is no need to use your own postage; Maryland law changed this year and all postage is prepaid.

Here’s a list of the locations of all the ballot drop boxes statewide.

I sent my ballot back in. How will I know it has been received?

Given some of the concerns around the U.S. Postal Service that came up over the summer, voters may be nervous about their ballot being received on time to be counted. You can call your local or state board of elections to make sure your ballot has been received. SBE officials are encouraging voters to get their ballots in the mail as soon as possible due to backlogs at the U.S. Postal Service.

If I want to vote on Election Day, what’s that going to be like?

Due to the pandemic and the limited number of election judges and voting sites available, in-person voting will look different this year. Voters can go to any voting center in their county to vote in-person on Election Day. You can find a list of all the voting centers that will be open on Election Day here. (For Prince George’s County residents, this includes the Washington Football Team’s FedEx Field, if you’re looking for a novel voting experience.) This is different than most election years when voters would have to go to a specific precinct to cast their ballot. Every voting center in the county will be equipped with ballots from each precinct.

Poll workers will be enforcing the wearing of masks, maintaining six feet of social distance, and encouraging the use of hand sanitizer. Because polling places are following statewide health and safety guidelines, voters may have to wait outside of the polling center before casting their votes. State and local election officials are asking people to vote via mail to avoid long lines and the risk of COVID-19 at polling sites.

What if I’m a senior citizen or voter with a disability?

Marylanders with disabilities can receive their ballots via the State Board of Elections website and use their online tool to mark their ballots. One they mark their ballots on the computer, they will need to be printed out and mailed back to the local or state board of elections or placed in a drop box.

Voters over the age of 65 or with disabilities can receive assistance at in-person voting locations from one or two election judges or a third party to help them mark their ballots. Voters can also take advantage of the express voting system that helps mark ballots electronically.

For more assistance with voting, visit the SBE website for more information.

I got a postcard from the U.S. Postal Service with different instructions for voting. What do I do with it?

Ignore it. SBE Administrator Linda Lamone says she’s worried that those generic postcards that were sent out to voters in every state will cause voter confusion. During a board meeting last week, Lamone said she was trying to stop USPS from mailing the postcards, but voters received them in the mail earlier this week.

When do votes start getting counted?

Local boards of elections will begin counting ballots on Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. SBE officials and lawmakers say starting the canvassing of ballots earlier will help them provide the results of the election in a timely manner, as opposed to waiting till a few days before the election or on election night.