Maryland’s Board of Elections voted Friday to replace the state’s system of small, precinct-based polling places for the November 3 election with a network of large vote centers that combines high schools throughout the state with existing early voting centers.
The plan reflects one offered by local elections officials concerned about a massive shortage of elections judges and locations that can house polling places.
It must be approved, however, by Gov. Larry Hogan, who has opposed reducing the number of polling places.
He announced in July that he expects all polling locations to be open in November. And in a letter to the board last week he warned against “wholesale” closing of polling places to accommodate the shortage of judges.