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After eight days of early voting in Maryland, it’s finally Election Day.
Tuesday’s primary election didn’t go well for some voters in Prince George’s County because two polling sites in Cheverly and Clinton slated to open at 7 a.m. didn’t do so until 8:30 a.m.
Sherman Hardy, one of four Democrats challenging County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in this year’s election, cast his ballot at Clinton Grove Elementary. He said in a text message any election problems must be corrected before the upcoming November general election.
“I don’t understand how this happened being that we just completed early voting,” Hardy said in a text message. “Hopefully it wasn’t widespread. We shouldn’t take these missteps lightly.”
A county election official said in an email Tuesday the main reason stems from lack of election workers. In addition, some new people aren’t familiar with setting up election equipment that caused a delay for residents to vote in Clinton and Cheverly.
An election official explained to voters calmly standing in line at the Judith P. Hoyer Early Childhood Center in Cheverly that if they needed to vote immediately, they could travel to another voting precinct in the town and fill out a provisional ballot.
“We can tell some stories while waiting in line,” former county State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey said amongst some laughs with other voters.
His name appears on ballots in parts of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties to seek the Democratic nomination for the 4th Congressional District.
The seat became open after Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Maryland) chose to run for attorney general.
Ivey’s in a contested battle with eight other Democrats, including former Rep. Donna Edwards.
Edwards and Ivey received most of the attention with television campaign ads that attacked each other’s credibility from two pro-Israel groups.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, provided more than half of Ivey’s $1.2 million campaign which included an ad that alleges Edwards’ lack of constituent services during her time in Congress.
J Street, a more liberal group that denounced the AIPAC ads, released an ad last week on behalf of Edwards that alleges Ivey’s support of AIPAC also back some Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election.
Phyllis Wright and Diane Young praised Ivey’s work as state’s attorney, one reason why Wright voted for him.
“It was a tough choice, but I went with Glenn Ivey,” Wright said after she voted at Concord Elementary in District Heights.
However, Young, who voted at the Breath of Life Seventh-day Adventist Church in Fort Washington, chose Edwards because she didn’t approve of the “negative ads” that really had no meaning, especially against a Black woman.”
Maryland voters still have time to cast ballots in the races for governor, attorney general, comptroller and other state and local races before polls close at 8 p.m.