As in-person early voting got underway Thursday in Maryland, a nation divided in the presidential race was on display at a voting center in Perry Hall in Baltimore County.
People lined up early to cast their ballots at the Honeygo Run Community Center, and they were a clear mix of voters.
Perry Hall serves as a microcosm of the national vote, wedged between the conservative east side of Baltimore County and the more liberal west.
“It’s probably the most diverse turnout of any early voting site in the county,” said Baltimore County Councilman David Marks, a Republican who represents Perry Hall.
“It draws from all over the east side,” Marks said in a text. “Kingsville is ruby red and Perry Hall is light pink but there are bluer areas that all produce turnout here.”
A reporter had no trouble finding voters on both sides of the political divide.
Richard Henninger summed up why he voted for former President Donald Trump.
Henninger said, “Closed borders. America first everywhere.”
Dave Klauss, wore his vote on his head: a Trump cap.
Klauss said, “It’s so obvious that this country is not doing good.”
But Ismail Mawanda said his vote for Vice President Kamala Harris is for democracy.
“I saw it as being in danger, which scared the hell out of me,” Mawanda said.
Tanisha Skinner didn’t say who she was voting for, at least not by name.
Skinner said, “I have my candidate of choice, so that’s what kind of brought me out, and I agree with her issues.”
Early voting in Maryland runs through October 31. You can vote at any voting center that is in your locality. You can find a list of voting centers at the Maryland State Board of Elections website.
Jared DeMarinis, Maryland’s state administrator of elections, said as of 1 pm Thursday, early voting had seen a “very good turnout.” More than 75,000 people had voted and about 500 had taken advantage of same-day registration.
Voting in Baltimore City
In northwest Baltimore City, early voters packed the parking lot at the Public Safety Training Center Thursday morning.
Though he’s not up for reelection, Del. Malcolm Ruff (D-41) stood outside of the center’s electioneering perimeter, persuading voters to vote for his partymates up and down the ballot.
“Harris for president, Alsobrooks for Senate,” he yelled as voters entered.
For Beverly Lam, a registered Republican, the overwhelming presence of Democrats at the polls made her feel sidelined.
“There were races where there weren’t any Republicans,” Lam said in frustration. “How can you vote for them if they’re not there? And it’s not just this year. If I want to vote for my party, I have to skip some races.”
Lam added that although she enjoyed the experience and was motivated by the “higher-level” races, she also felt like her vote didn't count.
Diamonté Brown, president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, also stood outside the center’s electioneering perimeter, persuading voters to vote against Question H, a charter amendment seeking to reduce the size of Baltimore city council from 14 to eight.
"If we cut city council seats, it will weaken relationships between council members and constituents,” Brown said. “This could lead to fewer city services. We already get put on hold when we call 911. We need to maintain, if not improve, our services, and we can’t do that with fewer council members."
Election Day, the final day of voting, is November 5.
