Voting update from Maryland. Poll opened here at 7:00am

[madinmaryland]

I got to the school about 6:30, and voted about 7:15. There were about 50 people in line ahead of me, and probably 200-250 came in from 6:30 - 7:00. Looks like turnout will be heavy today. The word change was floating around in the lines and there was plenty of excitement!!

[321Outright]

1. MD here too

In baltimore at one of the smaller polling stations.
Arrived 5min before the doors opened, and the line was much much longer than it was in 2004/06. They had a couple more machines, so things moved pretty quickly and i was out of there by 7:35ish. Ahead of me i overheard a poll worker speak of one machine having an issue with not accepting that little card you have to put in, but before i left that had been resolved. I was glad to see much more variety in the line, my past experiences were alongside mostly all old caucasian woman(we live near a few retirement centers), but this time there were more people of all shapes,sizes,colors,and ages! Very happy to not be the only youth voter there at 7am this morning, and I actually got one of the "i voted" stickers this time around :)

[bigtree]

2. I heard second-hand reports from vendors at work about lines wrapping around at least one poll

I went right after work and there wasn't a line, but in my suburban neighborhood, there has never been a line more than a few deep.

[bigtree]

3. Voters Battle Long Lines In Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Maryland voters took to the polls Tuesday to settle a heated First District congressional race and to say yes or no to slots, along with taking part in the presidential election.

Long lines were reported at some locations, though some people said they waited in line for less than 10 minutes. At Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in southwest Baltimore, 11 News reporter Jennifer Franciotti said there was a long line when polls opened and 40-minute waits were being reported at 10 a.m.

With Barack Obama solid in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1, the constitutional amendment on slot machines is a top statewide political question mark. Approval would mark the beginning of a new chapter after years of deadlock in a grueling and contentious debate on gambling expansion.

Voters also will decide whether they want Maryland to join more than 30 states with early voting.

Turnout is expected to be high, about 85 percent overall and as high as 90 percent in some parts of the state, state elections officials said. The state has boosted the number of voting machines to accommodate the crowds. In 2006, the state used about 16,000.

This election, about 19,000 machines will be used.


http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/17875859/detail.html