Turnout low on first day of early voting for Baltimore mayoral primary

The League for People with Disabilities was busier than usual Sept. 1, the first day that Baltimore residents could vote early in the Baltimore City mayoral primary.

"It's been steady all day long," said David Greenberg, chief executive officer of the league, 1111 E. Cold Spring Lane, which was one of the early voting sites.

Greenberg said earlier in the day that 50 to 100 people were coming in every hour to vote — and candidates' supporters were waiting to greet them, many with signs.

"There haven't been any incidents," Greenberg said. "All of the campaign people are out and keeping their distance from the door as required by law. It certainly hasn't been quiet."

Last year's area polling place was the Northwood Library, which became the busiest polling place in the city for early voting, Greenberg said. About 8,000 residents came out to cast their ballot at that location, so the city Board of Elections looked for a larger space this year.

"I'm expecting at least 5,000 people to come through here to vote," Greenberg said. "We have nice accomodations, lots of parking, they're in and out relatively quick, and there are lots of (voting) machines, so they can handle a big volume. It looks like they're well-prepared for it. I encourage people to come do it."

However, as the evening hours of Sept. 1 approached, the steady stream became a trickle, with one voter encountered in a 45-minute span.

William Wilder, of Waverly, voted on his way home from work at Johns Hopkins University and said it was easy.

"The process was quick, and they found my name quickly" in the computer, which was a problem in past years, Wilder said..

Despite the sparse turnout, Debra Rowley, an election judge for 15 years, said it was fun and worthwhile.

"I love helping and interacting with people," the Penn Lucy resident said. "I love it because it makes me feel a part of something. It makes me feel like I'm making a difference."

Citywide, turnout was low on the first day, with fewer than 1,000 of 369,651 registered voters voting early, or 0.3 percent, according to Abigail Goldman, deputy director of the Baltimore City Board of Elections.

Early voting for the primaries cotinues Sept. 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8. This is the first year polls are open early to allow people to vote in the primary elections Sept. 13. The general election is Nov. 8.

Julie Scharper contributed to this story.