WASHINGTON — You don’t have to wait until Nov. 4 to cast your ballot in Maryland’s midterm elections. Early voting starts Oct. 23 and runs through Oct. 30.
Marjorie Roher, the public information officer at the Montgomery County Board of Elections, says the question she’s asked most often is: Can I vote on the weekend? The answer to that is yes: “Our hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and that does include Saturday and Sunday.”
Roher says early voting is convenient for a number of reasons; among them, you can vote at any early voting center in the county, not just the one closest to your home.
Roher says no matter where you live, there’s a convenient place to vote. “We have nine early voting centers throughout the county — up in Damascus, down in Chevy Chase, Wheaton, Rockville. We are open and convenient to everybody in the county.”
But are voters motivated to get out and make their opinions known? Turnout in the June primary was a near-record low 17.5 percent.
Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews, who lost his bid for reelection but successfully pushed through legislation on public funding for campaigns in the county, says voters are not energized.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of interest in this election and that includes the governor’s race.”
Why does he think that’s the case?
“Neither candidate has struck a chord with the voters generally,” Andrews says.
Timothy Male, a Takoma Park councilmember, says he’s not surprised by June’s low turnout. It was the first time a midterm primary was held in the summer.
“You can read study after study that says don’t move the date of your election. Not only did we move it, but we put it in the summer. So, people were on vacation; kids were out of school; no one was thinking about an election at that time.”
Linna Barnes, president of the Montgomery County League of Women Voters, says she hasn’t detected excitement over any one issue in the upcoming election, but she’s hoping that eligible voters will turn out.
“It’s our right and our privilege. And it’s what everyone should be willing to do and anxious to do. So I hope everyone comes out and votes,” she says.
Where can you vote?
Montgomery County has nine voting centers. In Prince George’s County, there are eight. Frederick County has three.
To find out where you can cast your ballot:
Here’s a compreh ensive list on the Maryland State Board of Elections site.
Here are some of the county websites:
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