Maryland Primary Voter Registration Deadline Is August 22

If you live in Maryland and want to participate in choosing your party’s candidate for the November election, you have until 9pm Tuesday, August 22, to register to vote in the September 12 primary. The Democratic ballot includes lots of important contests (with several challenges to long-serving Democratic incumbents):

• Will Ben Cardin or Kweisi Mfume be the Democrat to face Republican Michael Steele in the contest to replace Paul Sarbanes in the Senate?
• Can Peter Franchot or Janet Owens defeat longtime embarrassment William Donald Schaefer in the race for comptroller, or will their splitting of the anti-Schaefer vote allow him to squeak through and live to ogle again?
• Will Donna Edwards, challenging Rep. Al Wynn, become Maryland’s Ned Lamont (though on the House level) as she hopes?
• Can constitutional lawyer Jamie Raskin, the only state senate candidate in the country who has nationwide popularity resulting from e-mail forwarding, unseat incumbent Ida Ruben?
• There are other important decisions at the state and local levels. Hey, I don’t live in Maryland, so I’m sure I’m missing a lot. Feel free to mention races you’re following in the comments.

You can register by downloading the form from the Maryland State Board of Elections and mailing it in. If you’re not sure whether you’re registered, use this online form to check your status.

Update (August 26): I’ve posted a list of statewide candidates for the Democratic primary.