Potomac residents have until Tuesday, Oct. 13, to register to vote online or by mail for the Nov. 3 general election.

The deadline also applies to updates to a voter's name, address or party affiliation, according to Montgomery Community Media. Mailed registration forms must be postmarked by Oct. 13.

Residents who miss the deadline can still register in person at an early voting center or at their polling place on Election Day. They must bring proof of where they live, such as a Maryland driver's license, state ID card, utility bill or bank statement.

County executive

The county executive race is at the top of the local ballot. Democrat Will Jawando, a Montgomery County councilmember, faces Republican Esther Wells, a certified public accountant and president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League. Current County Executive Marc Elrich is not seeking re-election.

Seven candidates ran in the primary. Active Democrats outnumber active Republicans in the county roughly 4-to-1, with 406,574 registered Democrats and 98,251 registered Republicans as of Aug. 31, according to A Miner Detail.

Jawando suffered a heart attack Sept. 5 while playing basketball. He is expected to make a full recovery. His primary campaign collected $844,557 in public matching funds under the county's Public Election Fund.

In an Oct. 7 Q&A with Bethesda Magazine, Wells said fiscal discipline, government accountability and public safety are her top priorities. "I believe I'm living the American dream … And sadly, I feel like that is crumbling here in Montgomery County because of the financial crisis that we're in," she said.

At-large Council

Five candidates are running for four at-large Council seats after 18 contenders were winnowed in the primary: Marc Elrich, Scott Evan Goldberg, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Karla Silvestre and Sherwin Wells. Sayles is the lone incumbent. Elrich, the outgoing county executive, is switching offices.

Board of Education

Four Board of Education seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot. The at-large race pits Brenda M. Diaz against Omar Lazo. In the 3rd District, Sally A. McCarthy faces Cassandra "Cassi" Sung. The 1st District seat (Grace Rivera-Oven) and 5th District seat (Elma-Lorraine Diggs) are uncontested, according to Patch.

Three state ballot questions

Voters will also decide three state constitutional amendments.

Question 1 would require the governor to include enough money in the state budget to cover wages and benefits in collective bargaining agreements with state employees.

Question 2 would allow temporary substitute appointments to the Commission on Judicial Disabilities when a member is recused or a term expires without a replacement.

Question 3 is the most contested. A "for" vote would remove the constitutional requirement that congressional districts be compact and contiguous, giving the General Assembly more flexibility to redraw maps. An "against" vote keeps those requirements. The Maryland Supreme Court rewrote the ballot language before allowing it to go to voters.

A UMBC poll of 776 likely voters conducted Sept. 22–27 found 53% plan to vote against Question 3, 25% plan to vote for it and 19% are undecided, WMAR reported. Opposition crossed party lines: 75% of Republicans, 42% of Democrats and 59% of unaffiliated voters said they would vote no.

How and where to vote in Potomac

Early voting runs Oct. 22–29. Centers are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Two locations serve the Potomac area:

  • Potomac Community Recreation Center, 11315 Falls Road, Potomac
  • Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center, 13850 Travilah Road, Rockville

Both offer free parking and a drop box for mail-in ballots. All 14 early voting centers across the county have drop boxes, and more than 50 additional drop-off locations are available countywide.

Mail-in ballot requests by mail or fax must arrive by Oct. 27. Online requests are due by Oct. 30. Completed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 or hand-delivered to a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

On Nov. 3, polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must go to their assigned polling place. Residents can look up their location at voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/PollingPlaceSearch.

The Montgomery County Board of Elections can be reached at 240-777-8500.