Nearly 5% of registered voters cast ballots during that time.
It seems a lot of Frederick County citizens took advantage of early voting last week. “Four years ago, we had 6 days of early voting, and about 2% of our voters voted early. This time, we had a turnout of 4.78% over a period of eight days. And we had a total of 7,627 vote early in Frederick County,” says Election Director Stuart Harvey.
The Maryland State Board of Elections reports a surge in early voting turnout last week. According to the agency, 258,000 people voted early. That’s about 7.5% of the state’s registered voters.
In 2014, the Board of Elections reports the turnout was 4.2%, and 2.4% in 2012. There were only 6 days of early voting both those years.
Harvey says most voters didn’t have any trouble using the new paper ballot system that was introduced this year. “Most people said it was pretty quick and easy,” he says.
Primary Election Day in Maryland is Tuesday, April 26th. If you’re voting that day, Harvey has some suggestions for getting in and out of the polls smoothly. “The best time to vote is in the middle of the day between about 10 and 4,” he says. “We tend to get more people voting in the morning, and there’s a certain rush in the afternoon as well.”
On election day, the polls will be open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. If you’re in line by the time the polls close, Harvey says you will be allowed to vote.