Run Up to November Elections Means 2018 Will Be Busy Year

The next 12 months will be busy politically with a gubernatorial election in November. Getting there, voters and candidates have a number of milestones.

Jan. 10: General Assembly convenes. The incumbent governor, attorney general, as well as delegates and senators, are not allowed to raise money for their candidacies during the General Assembly session.

Jan. 17: Campaign finance reports will be due. This report filing could be significant, particularly with candidates using traditional financing who are running for governor and Montgomery County executive. A poor showing in this report could mean the candidate drops out.

Feb. 27: Candidate filing deadline. Forty-eight hours later, however, candidates can withdraw their candidacy. And on March 5, the central committees can fill vacancy in the ballot.

April 9: Last day of the General Assembly session.

May 3: State boards of elections must display ballots for content and arrangement. This could be an important date in Montgomery County because of the large number of candidates running in the at-large race for County Council. Ballots will be printed May 7.

May 22: Deadline for first pre-primary campaign finance report.

June 5: Deadline to register to vote or to change party registration for the upcoming primary.

June 14: Early voting begins.

June 15: Deadline for second pre-primary campaign finance report.

June 21: Early voting ends.

June 26: Primary Election Day.

June 28: Absentee ballot canvass.

June 30: Deadline for filing referendum petition signatures and a petition fund report. Acts of the General Assembly can be taken to voters on the General Election Day.

July 5: Local boards of elections begin canvass of provisional ballots.

July 6: Deadline for local boards to verify primary vote count.

July 9: Deadline for statewide verification of primary vote count. Also, deadline to request a recount in a local race.

July 12: Deadline to request a recount in a state race.

Aug. 20: Deadline for Maryland Secretary of State to certify statewide ballot questions, and ballot questions petitioned to referendum, and for jurisdictional attorneys to certify to local boards questions to be voted on in all or part of a jurisdiction.

Aug. 28: Deadline to file first campaign finance report before the General Election.

Sept. 12: Deadline for the Maryland State Board of Elections to certify the ballot. The ballots are printed on Sept. 17.

Sept. 27: Deadline for central committees to fill a vacancy in the ballot.

Oct. 12: Deadline for ballot issue committees to file campaign finance report before General Election.

Oct. 16: Deadline to register for General Election.

Oct. 25: Early voting begins.

Oct. 26: Deadline for candidates to file campaign finance report before General Election.

Oct. 31: Deadline for write-in candidates to file “Certificate of Candidacy.” Only filed write-in candidates are counted in the official canvass.

Nov. 1: Early voting ends.

Nov. 6: General Election Day.

Nov. 8: First canvass of absentee ballots.

Nov. 14: Provisional ballot canvass.

Nov. 16: Deadline to receive absentee ballots by mail. Second canvass of absentee ballots. Also, verification of vote count.

Nov. 20: Deadline to file campaign finance report after General Election.

Dec. 3: Montgomery County executive and County Council members sworn in.

Dec. 11: Statewide certification of results.

Jan. 16, 2019: Inauguration Day in Annapolis.