Heavy Turnout Reported By County During Early Voting

Grace Palo

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Early voting centers in Montgomery County have already had a significant number of voters turn out for the first day of voting in the 2016 Election.

Unofficial reports say that there have been more voters participating in casting their ballots than there were at this point in the last election.

According to wait times that were tracked by the Montgomery County Board of Elections, there were several longer than usual waits at the county’s early voting locations.

The longest wait was 20 minutes at the Potomac Recreation Center. Voters faced 10-minute waits at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg and the Germantown Recreation Center. The Executive Office Building in Rockville had a nine-minute wait.

Election judges were kept so busy during the opening of early voting that they were unable to stop and comment, due to the need for them to be working to reduce the lines.

“Historically all presidential general elections have our highest turnout,” elections board spokeswoman Margie Roher said in a statement. The board expects at least a 60 to 80 percent turnout by November 8th when the balloting for the elections is over.

To avoid lines, any voter can vote by mail. An absentee ballot request form can be found online. It must be sent to the Board of Elections by Nov. 1 in order to have a ballot mailed, or by Nov. 4 if the ballot is to be delivered electronically.

Qualified residents who missed the Oct. 18 registration deadline can still register and vote the same day at any of the early voting sites. Residents must bring a Maryland driver’s license, identification card, learner’s permit or other proof of residency.

Early voting is available through Nov. 3, and the sites are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

(Photo: CNN)