Thousands of Baltimore County voters turn out for early, in person voting

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore County voters felt a mix of relief and excitement as they left an election center in Owings Mills Thursday. They were not only pleased to receive an 'I Voted' sticker, but particularly excited to make their voices heard ahead of Election Day on November 5.

"Earlier is just accommodating to my schedule," said Baltimore County resident Russell Stoneburner.

Voting early and in-person has become a new tradition for some Baltimore County voters.

"I love to vote in person," said County resident Angelia Anderson. "It feels better and I get my sticker!"

She said she will keep this moment close to her every day.

"I keep it on my cane as I walk," Anderson said.

However, casting a ballot means more than just the sticker. For Randy Lewis, it means fighting for what she believes in. That's why she made a point to vote early, in person for the first time.

"I was coming on day one to vote in Maryland because I think this is the most consequential election of my lifetime," she said.

They are just a few of the thousands of voters who made their voices heard on the first day of early, in-person voting.

"As of 11 am, we had a little under 6,000 voters already vote in Baltimore County," said Baltimore County Board of Elections Director Ruie LaVoie.

Baltimore County wasn't the only Maryland locality that showed up at voting centers today.

"As of 1 o'clock, we had over 75,000 people vote," said State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis.

Around 6 pm, LaVoie said that number grew to nearly 16,138. She said during the 8 days of early in-person voting, these figures are only going to increase.

"Usually, the last couple of days are the busiest," she said. "But we are planning for and expecting for large turnouts every day."

Jared DeMarinis said there are several priorities during this second phase in voting for this election cycle.

"Making sure that all those facilities are up and running, that they have no issues," he explained. "Monitoring if lines exist, deploying resources."

When it comes to mail-in ballots, LaVoie said her office has seen a huge turnout in Baltimore County.

"We've sent out over 100,000 mail-in ballots for voters that requested that option," LaVoie said. "We received back and canvassed over 50,000."