FBI, Maryland Officials Warn Of Voter Suppression Schemes, Some On Social Media
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI are warning voters about election misinformation.
The Justice Department, along with the FBI, launched a National Voter Disinformation Initiative to identify potential voter suppression schemes nationwide -- including on social media.
"The right to vote is one of the most important rights exercised by Americans," said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. "Plan now to determine when, where, and how you will vote. Don't let misinformation keep you from exercising your right to vote!"
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Here's what you can do to avoid being misinformed:
- Seek out election information from trustworthy sources, verify who produced the content, and consider their intent.
- If appropriate, make use of in-platform tools offered by social media companies for reporting suspicious posts that appear to be spreading false or inconsistent information about voting and elections.
- Report disinformation about the manner, time, or place of voting in Maryland to the Baltimore Field Office of the FBI at (410) 265-8080 or submit a tip on the FBI's website at https://www.fbi.gov/tips.
- Know when, where, and how you will vote.
Here's some facts about voting in Maryland:
Election Day is November 3, 2020. In Maryland you can vote by mail, use a ballot drop box or vote in in person during early voting or on Election Day.
Voting By Mail
If you chose to receive your mail-in ballot by U.S. Mail, simply follow the instructions with your ballot and return it in the postage-paid return envelope that accompanies your ballot. Your mail-in ballot must be mailed AND postmarked on or before November 3, 2020, to be counted. Please be advised that putting your ballot in a mailbox on November 3 does not mean it is postmarked that day, so plan ahead.
Ballot Drop Boxes
You can also put your ballot in a drop off box location up until 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. A list of drop box locations can be found on the website of the Maryland State Board of Elections at https://elections.maryland.gov/.
In-Person Early Voting
In-person voting will begin during the early voting period from Monday, October 26 to Monday, November 2, 2020. On early voting days, approximately 80 vote centers will be open statewide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can cast their vote at any vote center in their county of residence. Visit the Maryland State Board of Election's website at https://elections.maryland.gov/ to see the list of early voting centers.
Voting In-Person on Election Day
On Election Day, approximately 315 vote centers will be open statewide, including the early voting centers. Voters can cast their vote at any vote center in their county of residence, and residents in the City of Baltimore may cast their vote at any vote center in the city. Your neighborhood polling place probably will not be open on Election Day, but there should be a vote center near you.
Vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Visit the Maryland State Board of Elections website at https://elections.maryland.gov/ to see the list of Election Day vote centers.
If you haven't yet registered to vote, you can do so on in-person on Election Day or during early voting.