Maryland Early Voting Begins With High Turnout in Many Locations

Early voting began Thursday in Maryland, and some voters found long lines of people eager to cast their ballot.

Some voters found lines snaking outside voting centers. 

So many people showed up to the Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Center in Landover that some said they waited two hours. Seniors and people with mobility issues said the long lines made it hard for them to vote.

Some people said they were excited to have their vote counted; others said they just wanted the election to be over.

Maryland's elections administrator said about midday Thursday that the first day of early voting was going smoothly

Linda Lamone said all 69 early voting centers opened on time. People were lined up at some voting centers before they opened at 8 a.m. 

More than 96,000 people had voted as of 5 p.m. Of them, about 64,300 were Democrats and 21,600 were Republicans. That compares to 10,235 voters registered with other parties. 

Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in Maryland. There are about 2.1 million registered Democrats and 1 million Republicans. 

Early voting polls will be open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Nov. 3. Voters can cast ballots at an early voting center in their county. See here for more information and a list of early voting sites.

Maryland residents can also request absentee ballots. 

Absentee ballots must be received by Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. (here's a link to the form you'll need). You can also download an absentee ballot online, which must be done by Nov. 4. You'll have to postmark your absentee ballot by election day, and it must be received by Nov. 18. You can also hand-deliver your completed ballot to your local board of elections by 8 p.m. on election day.

Election Day is Nov. 8.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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