First-Day Early Voter Turnout More Than Tripled In Montgomery Co

ROCKVILLE, MD — First-day early voter turnout in Montgomery County has more than tripled since the last gubernatorial midterm elections in 2014. According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, 14,220 eligible voters — or 2.17 percent — in Montgomery County cast their ballots.

In 2014, 4,321 eligible voters — or 0.68 percent — cast their ballots on the first day of early voting.

Both 2018 and 2014 unofficial figures do not take provisional and absentee voters into account, according to the elections board. As of Oct. 25, there were a total of 41,314 absentee ballots sent to county residents, of which 10,157 were returned to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Montgomery County didn't just beat its unofficial voter turnout total from 2014. In 2018, there were more voters from Montgomery County who cast their ballots than any other county in Maryland, according to the elections board. Baltimore County, which had an unofficial tally of 12,871, had the second highest number of day-one early voters.

Additionally, Montgomery County had 57 same-day voter registrations and 70 address changes. These numbers were also the highest in the state. In Maryland, there were a grand total of 276 same-day voter registrations and 346 address changes.

Although the 2018 numbers are significantly higher than those of 2014, they are still lower compared to that of the 2016 presidential election. In 2016, there were 21,888 — or 3.33 percent — first-day voters.

Early Voting Locations

Early voting centers will be open for voting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Thursday, Nov. 1. If you vote early, you cannot vote on Election Day or by absentee ballot.

The early voting centers in Montgomery County are located at:

• Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
• Damascus Community Rec Center, 25520 Oak Dr, Damascus, MD 20872
• Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe St, Rockville, MD 20850
• Germantown Community Rec Center, 18905 Kingsview Rd, Germantown MD 20874
• Jane E. Lawton Community Rec Center, 4301 Willow La, Chevy Chase MD 20815
• Marilyn Praisner Community Rec Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville MD 20866
• Mid-County Community Rec Center, 2004 Queensguard Rd, Silver Spring MD 20906
• Potomac Community Rec Center, 11315 Falls Rd, Potomac MD 20854
• Saint Catherine Laboure (Claridge Room), 11801 Claridge Road, Wheaton, MD 20902
• Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department (Oak Room), 17921 Brooke Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860
• Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring MD 20910

Lead photo by Shutterstock.

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