Lafayette Elementary School on the first day of early in-person voting.
(WTOP/Dick Uliano)
WTOP/Dick Uliano
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at an early voting center at Nationals Park in Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020.
(CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Caroline Brehman)
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Caroline Brehman
A “Thank You For Voting” sign is on display at an early voting center at Nationals Park Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Alex Wong)
Getty Images/Alex Wong
A man casts his ballot at an early voting center at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger)
Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger
Poll worker Sheila Thomas helps voters to submit their ballots from the curbside voting line, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, at Malcolm X Opportunity Center, an early voting center in Washington. Curbside voting is offered at this location for seniors and people with disabilities.
(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP/Jacquelyn Martin
Poll worker Mildred Henson helps voters to submit their ballots from the curbside voting line, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, at Malcolm X Opportunity Center, an early voting center in Washington. Curbside voting is offered at this location for seniors and people with disabilities. “I love being a poll worker,” says Henson, “because I love the vote, and we need to all come together and vote!”
(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP/Jacquelyn Martin
A 2-year-old girl accompanies her father to vote at an early voting center at Union Market Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Alex Wong)
Getty Images/Alex Wong
A man casts his ballot at an early voting center at the Capitol One Arena on Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger)
Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger
Voters cast their ballots at an early voting center at Union Market Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.
(Getty Images/Alex Wong)
Getty Images/Alex Wong
People cast their ballots at an early voting center at the Capitol One Arena on Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger)
Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger
A woman checks in to cast her ballot at an early voting center at the Capitol One Arena on Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger)
Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger
A ballot drop box for early voting ballot is positioned outside Union Market Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Alex Wong)
Getty Images/Alex Wong
A man is seen in the lobby of the Omni Shoreham Hotel after casting his ballot at an early voting center on Oct. 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
(Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger)
Getty Images/Sarah Silbiger
Early voting begins in D.C. as voters wait in line at an early voting center at Nationals Park, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, in Washington.
(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP/Jacquelyn Martin
Patria, 57, right, who asked to use only her first name, and Janet Wilson, 68, both of Washington, smile after receiving their “I Voted” stickers in a car after submitting their ballots from the curbside voting line, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, at Malcolm X Opportunity Center, an early voting center in Washington. Curbside voting is offered at this location for seniors and people with disabilities. “I voted early because I want to be sure that my health doesn’t keep me from voting on the 3rd,” says Wilson, “the primary voting was so crowded that I couldn’t vote, so this time I’m voting early.”
Ron Williams, Jr., of Washington, has his daughter Mimi Williams, 2, help him to push the buttons while casting his vote at an early voting center at Nationals Park, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, in Washington. “We anticipated lines on election day,” says Williams. “I brought my daughter so that when she is older she will see that voting is powerful and a way to get our voices heard.”
A poll worker places social distancing markers on the sidewalk outside of the Capital One Arena before the start of the first day of early voting in Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020.
(CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Bill Clark)
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Bill Clark
A sign outside of Capital One Arena urges residents to vote early before the start of the first day of early voting in Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020.
(CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Bill Clark)
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Bill Clark
Voters cast their ballots along the concourse of the Capital One Arena on the first day of early voting in Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020.
(CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Bill Clark)
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag/Bill Clark
Inside the super voter center at Nationals Park.
(WTOP/Melissa Howell)
WTOP/Melissa Howell
Voters line up outside Nationals Park in Southwest.
(WTOP/Melissa Howell)
Angela Hawkins told WTOP’s Melissa Howell that it was “a blessing” to see so many voters turn out at Nationals Park, which is serving as a super vote center for Southwest D.C.
“I feel good because I want to vote, because voting matters, and my vote will matter,” Hawkins said. “I really didn’t think there was going be a lot of people here, but it’s a blessing to see them. It’s a good thing.”
She added that nobody was going to keep her from voting, “unless it’s the Good Lord.”
“I think that seeing so many people who are willing to get up early on the first day shows how committed people are to making sure their voice is heard and their vote counts,” said voter Altee Chait.
Chait noted that safety precautions are being observed since the coronavirus pandemic is still raging. “They’re really careful,” Chait said.
Those in line are staying 6 feet apart and wearing face masks.
“The same as inside, people are really respecting it,” Chait said. “All the people who are helping you, sitting down and computers, are behind face shields that are glass. So you can really tell that they’ve thought through all of the different precautions that could be put in to make sure people feel comfortable. And that was really nice to see. So, I felt very safe and comfortable.”
Dorice Templeman said she came to physically drop off her ballot because she didn’t want to risk it getting lost in the mail.
“I really want to make sure my vote counts. So, I figured it would be a lot safer for me to do it,” Templeman said. “Because I just got a funny feeling that that president we got in there, he’s got some stuff in his sleeve, and I wasn’t gonna get caught up in it.”
Templeman said that even though she’s in the high-risk group for coronavirus, she was going to come out and vote. “I was coming today. You can believe that,” she said.
Election workers inside the Nationals Park super vote center on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. (WTOP/Melissa Howell)
“We want people to know that they should be wearing a mask when they go, and that they should have a plan,” D.C. Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt said.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged residents to take advantage of all six days of early voting ahead of Election Day, on Nov. 3.
“Plan. You have a whole week,” Bowser said. “But don’t wait until the last day.”
William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.
