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Montgomery County elections official details registration deadlines, early voting and poll-worker pay
Summary
A county elections officer outlined how Montgomery County residents can register, request mail ballots, use early voting (June 11–18) and serve as poll workers; key dates include a registration deadline of June 2 and election day on June 23, and many voter materials will be bilingual.
Dr. Gilberto Celaya, community liaison and public relations officer for the Montgomery County Board of Elections, told listeners on a Spanish-language community program that the county is preparing for the 2026 election cycle and urged residents to register and plan how they will vote.
"El plazo para inscribirse para votar es el 2 de junio," Celaya said, specifying the registration cutoff he repeated several times during the program. He told listeners they can request a mail ballot by texting the letters VPC to 77788 and that requesters must already be registered to vote in Maryland.
Celaya gave the county's early-voting window: "la votación anticipada inicia del jueves 11 de junio hasta el jueves 18 de junio," and said early voting centers will operate roughly from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. He said the county will mail every registered voter a bilingual sample ballot and voter information packet and that the official Montgomery County ballot will be available in both English and Spanish.
For voters who miss the registration deadline, Celaya said same-day, in-person registration at polling places is available on election day with proof of name and address; in those cases voters may cast a provisional ballot while county staff later verify eligibility.
The county is also recruiting poll workers. "Se le da un estipendio hasta $250 por cada día que participe," Celaya said, describing the pay for a full day of service and noting training requirements: applicants fill out an online questionnaire, complete a short training (up to three hours in person) and must be able to read, write and speak English for the volunteer role. He said youth may earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours through the Future Votes program.
Celaya emphasized accessibility for Spanish-speaking voters and said the county will try to place bilingual volunteers where needed. He also encouraged families and community members to help one another register and plan ahead to avoid last-minute barriers.
The segment closed with host Marcela Rodríguez Villagrán repeating the key dates and contact methods listeners can use to get more information and to sign up: registration deadline June 2; early voting June 11–18; election day June 23; and text services at 77788 for registration and mail-ballot requests.
What happens next: the county will mail sample ballots and informational packets to registered voters in May, and outreach for poll-worker recruitment and training will continue through the early-voting period.
