About a week ago, maybe Oct 1, I got a text message from the State Election Board saying they have my ballot. However, state law prevents them from opening the envelope and counting my votes until after polls close on Election Day, Nov 5. Apparently, they collect all mail-in ballots until they decide if these votes are needed to determine the outcome. Then and only then do they count those ballots. They are identical paper ballots as used on election day, all read by scanners. In 2020, an estimated 40% of all votes in Maryland were mailed-in.
That's another archaic election procedure that must change.
