Harford County Prepares for Polls

With 12 days until the election, Harford County Republicans and Democrats are hitting the road, hoping to make a difference on Nov. 6.

Early voting in Harford County starts Saturday, and the most recent AP-GfK poll shows that nationally, 47 percent of voters support Mitt Romney while 45 percent favor President Barack Obama.

According to the Harford County Board of Elections, there are 169,546 people registered to vote as of Oct. 24.

The breakdown of the top three affiliations is as follows: 67,508 registered Democrats; 70,769 Republicans; and 29,037 United Nationalist Alliance.

To be sure people get out and vote, the Harford County Democrats are offering a special service to the public.

"We offer rides to the polls," said Wendy Sawyer, chair of the Harford County Democratic Central Committee. Anyone can get a free ride to a polling place. "Just call 410-913-7252."

Recently, Republicans—including Harford County Executive David Craig and son Havre de Grace City Councilman Randy Craig—took a ride as well. Last weekend, they went door-to-door in Havertown, PA, in hopes of turning Pennsylvania, a swing state, toward the Republican candidate.

On the decision to go out-of-state, The Baltimore Sun noted that the last time Maryland voted for a Republican president was 24 years ago.

Harford County Democrats are confident the Democratic leanings in Maryland will continue this year, according to Sawyer.

“We are quite pleased with the debates, which showed three different Romneys. President Obama demonstrated the steady thoughtful leadership he has provided, while Romney was all over the map,” Sawyer said.

Whether people will vote, however, is the question. In the 2008 election, 61.6 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, which marked a 40-year high, according to CBS News.