WASHINGTON – As Election Day approaches, voters are thinking about the candidates, the platforms and the debates.
But there’s another decision that must be made – the time voters head to the polls.
With several issues on local ballots that will shape the D.C. region’s long-term future, voter turnout rates are expected to be high, according to Marjorie Roher, public information officer for the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
“If you have flexibility, do not vote first thing in the morning,” Roher says. “I tell people that every single year, and every single year, we have long lines and frustrated voters first thing in the morning.”
Maryland and D.C. polling locations open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 6. Virginia polls will be open from 6 a.m to 7 p.m.
Roher says the worst lines will likely happen just after the polls open in Maryland at 7 a.m.
“If you’ve got a nice boss who will let you go out during the middle of the day and vote, that’s going to be your best time,” she says.
As long as area residents are in line before polls are scheduled to close, they are supposed to be allowed to vote, no matter how long the line is.
WTOP’s Max Smith contributed to this report. Follow Max and WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
