Maryland primary election results could take several days, especially in tight races, officials say

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland's primary election is upon us, but don't expect to find out all the winners on Tuesday.

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Election officials say there could be days of waiting for results in tight races.

"The difference for this election is the number of voters that have chosen to vote by mail," said Nikki Charlson, Deputy Administrator of the Maryland Board of Elections.

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State law says mail-in ballots cannot be counted until two days after the election. Charlson said nearly half a million mail-in ballots have been distributed and final counts in some races could take until next week.

"I expect some of the smaller counties or medium sized counties, they will be finished on the 29th. But the larger counties will likely still be counting ballots the following week," she said.

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She says the results released Tuesday evening will only be from those who voted in person, both early voting and on election day. She said typically only 20-25 percent of registered voters vote in gubernatorial primaries in the state.

Even if you're not yet a registered voter, Maryland allows same day voter registration at your neighborhood polling place.

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Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and people can find their polling place here.

Primary elections can be confusing for people who are registered as unaffiliated or with a third party. Charlson says there are about 850,000 voters in Maryland who fall in that category and for this election are only able to vote in school board races.

Voters must be registered either as a Democrat or Republican to choose candidates in the primary.