Maryland Early Voting Statistics: County Turnout and Share

Early voting statistics at a glance

Early voting in Maryland shows a wide spread across counties, with both turnout counts and turnout shares varying sharply by jurisdiction (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Big number: Maryland statewide early voting reached 984,945 voters with a 32.34% early voting share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Key takeaway: The dataset is not just about volume. Some counties produced the largest raw totals, while others posted the highest early voting shares, which makes the comparison useful for understanding participation patterns (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Fast facts

• Maryland statewide early voting: 984,945 voters and 32.34% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Highest raw early voting count in this dataset: Montgomery County with 154,582 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Second-highest raw count: Prince George’s County with 148,969 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Highest early voting share in this dataset: Calvert County at 42.72% (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Another high-share county: Queen Anne’s County at 42.39% and Saint Mary’s County at 40.56% (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Table of contents

1. Maryland early voting totals and shares
2. Counties with the highest early voting volume
3. Counties with the highest early voting share
4. What the county spread suggests
5. Full county comparison table
6. How to read the figures

Maryland early voting totals and shares

The statewide figure sets the baseline: 984,945 voters cast early ballots, and early voting represented 32.34% of voting activity in Maryland (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf). That is a substantial share, but the county-level numbers show that the statewide average hides major local differences.

A few counties sit above 40% early voting share, which means early voting was especially prominent there relative to the rest of the electorate. Other counties show large raw turnout but more moderate shares, suggesting that population size and participation rate are not the same thing (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Why it matters: If you only look at total voters, you miss where early voting was most deeply adopted. If you only look at percentages, you miss where the biggest absolute volume came from. The dataset supports both views at once (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Counties with the highest early voting volume

The largest early voting totals come from the state?s most populous counties and a few major urban centers. In raw counts, the leaders are clear:

1. Montgomery County: 154,582 voters and 29.67% early voting share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
2. Prince George’s County: 148,969 voters and 36.79% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
3. Baltimore County: 126,138 voters and 30.44% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
4. Anne Arundel County: 101,527 voters and 32.53% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
5. Howard County: 59,647 voters and 32.64% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

These five counties alone account for a very large share of the visible early voting volume in the dataset (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

A useful pattern emerges here: the highest-volume counties are not always the highest-share counties. Montgomery County leads in raw early votes, but its 29.67% share is lower than several smaller counties. Prince George’s County combines a huge turnout count with a much stronger 36.79% share, showing that size and intensity can align, but not always (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Counties with the highest early voting share

The strongest early voting shares appear in a different set of counties. The top shares in the dataset are:

• Calvert County: 42.72% early voting share with 23,150 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Queen Anne’s County: 42.39% share with 13,737 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Saint Mary’s County: 40.56% share with 23,845 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Talbot County: 40.50% share with 9,282 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Charles County: 37.75% share with 34,722 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Harford County: 36.84% share with 55,356 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Prince George’s County: 36.79% share with 148,969 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

These figures show that some smaller counties can be especially strong early voting adopters. Talbot County, for example, has just 9,282 voters in early voting but still posts a 40.50% share, which places it among the highest-share counties in the dataset (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

High-share vs. high-volume

The distinction between volume and share is the most important reading lens in this dataset:

• High volume reflects how many voters used early voting.
• High share reflects how heavily early voting was used relative to total turnout in that county.

A county like Montgomery leads in volume, while Calvert leads in share. That means one county can dominate the count without dominating the rate, and vice versa (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

County comparison table

County	Early voting voters	Early voting share
Montgomery County	154,582	29.67%
Prince George’s County	148,969	36.79%
Baltimore County	126,138	30.44%
Anne Arundel County	101,527	32.53%
Howard County	59,647	32.64%
Baltimore City	52,947	22.76%
Frederick County	46,371	29.65%
Harford County	55,356	36.84%
Charles County	34,722	37.75%
Carroll County	34,983	33.97%
Calvert County	23,150	42.72%
Saint Mary’s County	23,845	40.56%
Washington County	25,012	34.15%
Wicomico County	16,286	34.80%
Cecil County	18,168	34.45%
Queen Anne’s County	13,737	42.39%
Talbot County	9,282	40.50%
Worcester County	9,904	30.08%
Caroline County	5,486	33.81%
Dorchester County	5,095	30.31%
Garrett County	5,314	33.51%
Kent County	3,609	32.30%
Somerset County	3,617	35.66%
Allegany County	7,198	22.23%

This table makes the state-level spread easier to see. Counties with very high shares do not necessarily have very large absolute counts, and counties with very large counts do not necessarily have very high shares (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

What the county spread suggests

The dataset points to three broad patterns.

1. Large counties drive the biggest counts

Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County all contribute major early voting totals. These counties push the statewide number upward because of scale, even when their shares are not always the highest (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

2. Smaller counties can post stronger shares

Calvert County, Queen Anne’s County, Saint Mary’s County, and Talbot County all exceed 40% early voting share. That suggests early voting was especially central to participation in those places, even if the raw totals are smaller (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

3. Baltimore City is an important outlier

Baltimore City records 52,947 voters but only a 22.76% early voting share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf). That combination is notable because it shows a meaningful total count with a much lower rate than many other jurisdictions in the dataset.

That gap helps explain why county rankings can look different depending on whether the reader cares about turnout volume or participation intensity.

County-by-county notable figures

Several counties stand out for reasons that are easy to miss in a quick scan:

• Anne Arundel County: 101,527 voters, 32.53% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Baltimore County: 126,138 voters, 30.44% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Harford County: 55,356 voters, 36.84% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Howard County: 59,647 voters, 32.64% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Frederick County: 46,371 voters, 29.65% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Cecil County: 18,168 voters, 34.45% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Wicomico County: 16,286 voters, 34.80% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Worcester County: 9,904 voters, 30.08% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

A mixed picture like this is common in election datasets: counties can be high-turnout, high-share, both, or neither. This dataset gives enough variation to compare each of those cases (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

How to read the figures

If you are using these early voting statistics for reporting, research, or a plain-language explainer, keep the following reading rules in mind:

• Use the statewide total when you need the broadest summary: 984,945 voters and 32.34% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Use raw voters when comparing which counties contributed the most early ballots.
• Use early voting share when comparing how heavily early voting was used in each county.
• Use both measures together when you want a complete picture of participation.

The most defensible reading of the dataset is simple: Maryland early voting was widespread, but it was not evenly distributed. Some counties leaned heavily into early voting, some produced the biggest absolute counts, and some sat near the middle on both measures (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

Source-backed snapshots

• Highest early voting share: Calvert County at 42.72% (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Highest early voting volume: Montgomery County at 154,582 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Largest statewide early voting total: Maryland at 984,945 voters (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Lowest share among the highlighted counties: Baltimore City at 22.76% (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).
• Strong high-share cluster: Queen Anne’s, Saint Mary’s, Talbot, Calvert, and Charles all post shares above 37% or higher (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf).

County reference list

For quick scanning, here are the county figures in compact form:

• Allegany County: 7,198 voters, 22.23% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Anne Arundel County: 101,527 voters, 32.53% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Baltimore City: 52,947 voters, 22.76% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Baltimore County: 126,138 voters, 30.44% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Calvert County: 23,150 voters, 42.72% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Caroline County: 5,486 voters, 33.81% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Carroll County: 34,983 voters, 33.97% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Cecil County: 18,168 voters, 34.45% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Charles County: 34,722 voters, 37.75% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Dorchester County: 5,095 voters, 30.31% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Frederick County: 46,371 voters, 29.65% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Garrett County: 5,314 voters, 33.51% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Harford County: 55,356 voters, 36.84% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Howard County: 59,647 voters, 32.64% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Kent County: 3,609 voters, 32.30% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Montgomery County: 154,582 voters, 29.67% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Prince George’s County: 148,969 voters, 36.79% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Queen Anne’s County: 13,737 voters, 42.39% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Saint Mary’s County: 23,845 voters, 40.56% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Somerset County: 3,617 voters, 35.66% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Talbot County: 9,282 voters, 40.50% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Washington County: 25,012 voters, 34.15% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Wicomico County: 16,286 voters, 34.80% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)
• Worcester County: 9,904 voters, 30.08% share (Official_CountyAndCanvass.pdf)