Any resident of Greenbelt, age 16 and over, can participate in the November City Council election ‒ by signing a candidate’s petition or voting, or running for office if over 18. But doing any of those things requires being registered to vote at a residence address that lies within the boundaries of the City of Greenbelt. The Motiva apartments on Cherrywood Lane will be the newest expansion of addresses on the city’s list since 2015 when Greenbelt Station addresses were added.
Register
For those not already registered, the deadline for registering to vote in the November 7 election is Monday, October 9. This deadline also applies to making changes to one’s name or address.
Registrations must be received by the Prince George’s County Board of Elections no later than 4:30 p.m. at 1100 Mercantile Lane, Suite 115A, in Largo. Since glitches may occur at any level, would-be voters are advised not to wait until the last minute.
Verify Registration
Newly registered residents can call the County Board of Elections at 301-341-7300 if they have not received a voter notification card within two weeks of registering. Alternatively, they or any others who wish to be sure they are properly registered can look up their registration on the website for the Maryland Board of Elections at elections.maryland.gov. From the home page, click on Voter Services under the heading Hot Topics. While this information will confirm the details of the registration, users should be aware that the polling place listed for them on this site will be the one used for county, state and federal elections.
Eligibility to Register
Besides being a city resident at the time of registration, an individual wishing to register to vote must be a U.S. citizen and should have a birthdate no later than November 7, 2007.
Individuals who have been found by a court to be incapable of voting by reason of mental disability are not eligible to register. No one can register who has been convicted of buying or selling votes. Persons may register who have been convicted of other felonies if they have completed their court-ordered sentence of imprisonment, including any required term of parole or probation.
Student Registration
Otherwise-qualified students who are attending colleges in Maryland may register to vote if they consider their local address to be their legal address or domicile. Usually that means it is the address that appears on tax returns or other government documents, driver’s license, bank accounts, charge accounts and so forth. For more information about student registration, go to elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/students.html.
Registering – Just Do It
There are now so many ways to register to vote in Maryland that it is easier to just do it than to come up with an excuse. Registration may be accomplished online, by mail or in person. Registering online at the State Board of Elections website (elections.maryland.gov) using Maryland’s Online Voter Registration System (OLVR) requires submission of a name, date of birth and driver’s license number, ID number or learner’s permit number that match information on file with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). The signature on file at the MVA will become the official voter registration signature.
Anyone who has neither a valid Maryland driver’s license nor a substitute MVA-issued ID card must complete a paper voter registration form and either mail it to the County Board of Elections or submit it in person at the office of the county board in Largo by the deadline. This form cannot be faxed or emailed because it requires an original signature.
Voter registration forms may be downloaded and printed from the state Board of Elections site. Paper forms for mailing are also available at the city clerk’s office in the Municipal Building at 25 Crescent Road, as well as at the Greenbelt Library at 11 Crescent Road. If picking up a form is not possible, call the County Board of Elections office at 301-341-7300 and ask to receive one by mail.
Registration Changes
Registered Maryland voters are no longer required to re-register if they move to a new address within the state, even if they are crossing county lines, but they must update their information. Address or name updates to existing registrations can be made using the same methods used for registering. Changes may be made online using the OLVR system at the state Board of Elections site if one has a Maryland driver’s license or MVA identification card. Changes may be made using a voter registration form to be mailed to the County Board of Elections or submitted in person in Largo by the October 9 deadline. Completing a change of address form at the MVA will also send the change to the county for processing unless the voter asks that it not be.
Party Affiliation
Greenbelt City Council elections are nonpartisan, which means there are no primary elections and no party designations or slates. In registering to vote, however, a resident has the option of registering with any of the state’s recognized political parties for the purposes of voting in partisan primaries in presidential, state and county elections. Maryland will hold a primary election for its 2024 Presidential Election.
For questions on voter registration for the city election, contact the County Board of Elections at 301-341-7300 or the Greenbelt city clerk’s office at 301-474-8000. Additional information on the city election can be found on the city website at greenbeltmd.gov.
– The information above is based on an article by Kathleen Gallagher that appeared in the August 31, 2017, issue of the News Review. It has been updated to reflect 2023 information.