Voter Turnout Steady, 70 Complaints About Machines
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Decision day. The polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a steady stream of voters made their way to the polls.
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Meghan McCorkell has been going back and forth across the state talking to voters and she has the latest on voter turnout.
From Baltimore County to the city to Anne Arundel and Howard counties -- across the state, Marylanders turned out at the polls.
Many of their eyes on one race.
"Our governor's race. That's going to be a tough one and it's really hard to go in either direction," voter Maurice Travers said.
People who went out to vote say they know what they want to see from the next person in the governor's mansion.
"Lower taxes, better structure, more accountability," voter Melvin Thomas said.
"Yes, education is very important to me, and that's also at the local level," Kathy Palencar said.
Some say that's the reason they want their voices heard.
"We need to learn from the mistakes we didn't do a couple years ago," Carolyn Venable-Bates said.
The state board of elections was predicting a 55 percent voter turnout -- on par with the last election for governor.
"I've had my opinions, I knew what I was going to vote," Tibor Friedman said. "I was just trying to make sure the machines were correct."
State officials say of their 18,000 voting machines -- they only received about 70 complaints.
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Update, 5 p.m.: People were proudly wearing their "I voted" sticker.
Across the state of Maryland voters are making their voices heard.
"I think it's a duty we have, I really do," one Maryland voter said.
"I think it's the most important thing we can do in this country," another Maryland voter told WJZ Tuesday.
In Anne Arundel County there was a steady flow of people headed to the polls, voting on the issues closest to their hearts.
"I think we need to have a real big focus on education because the kids in our state and in our country are our future," one Anne Arundel County voter stated.
"All my votes went to people who had something to do with the environment," another Anne Arundel County voter said.
Election judges in Anne Arundel County said they saw hundreds of voters all before 11 a.m.
At Long Reach High School in Columbia, some voters hoped that the lines got longer as the day goes on.
"This is my chance to speak up and say what I think is right," one Columbia voter said.
"It's a blessing to be able to come in and register our thoughts," another Howard County voter said.
There weren't lines at Lakewood Elementary in East Baltimore today.
"They usually have a line going in," one Baltimore voter said.
Those that did show up say they understand what's at stake in this election.
"We need to get the right people in office that's going to help our city, our children," another city voter said.
Election officials here say and influx of early voters may have lead to today's smaller turnout.
In Pikesville, some worry the governor's race will be a tight one.
'Nothing's going to be easy in this election. You gotta come out and vote for who you want to." a Pikesville voter said.
The polls will close at 8 p.m. tonight.
The state board of elections said out of their 18,000 voting machines, they've only received about 44 complaints. They have taken some of those machines out of service and they do believe that elections judges have been able to make sure voters can cast a ballot for the candidate they choose.
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Original Post, 12:02 p.m..: Gigi Barnett had more on voter turnout this morning.
Polls opened across Maryland at 7 a.m. and Cross County Elementary Middle School is one of the Baltimore's busiest polling sites.
After candidates spent months criss-crossing the state, it's now time to turn out and decide on key races.
"He's going to be the first black, African-American governor," said Obie King, Baltimore voter.
"I've seen a lot of taxes and in order for you to get things moving, you have to see change," said Eli Schnitzer, Baltimore voter.
Over at the Baltimore Board of Elections, officials say so far so good.
"We have not had any mechanical problems this morning. We did have one or two sites that did open late. But, everything is open and running smoothly," said Armstead Jones, City Elections director.
After eight days of early voting that ended last week, the Baltimore Board of Elections is expecting a high turnout on this decision day.
Baltimore will begin its counting process at 8 p.m.
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