City voter turnout heavier than in March

May 19, 2009|By MARLO BARNHART

o Voter turnout hasn't always been low

HAGERSTOWN -- Hagerstown residents headed to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots for mayor, City Council members, and a question on when future elections should be held.

Daryl Long said voter turnout in the first 3 1/2 hours at the Washington County Free Library polling place for today's Hagerstown municipal election was already way ahead of the primary numbers.

"We had 42 voters by 10:30 a.m.," said Long, a chief judge. "There were only about 70 voters total at the primary -- we're already halfway there."

Steady but sporadic was Long's description of the flow of voters. He added that the voting machines were operating flawlessly.

At Trinity Lutheran Church, 15 Randolph Ave., Ann Kendall, chief judge, said turnout was also what she would describe as slow but steady.

"We have had 50 voters cast ballots by 10:30 a.m.," Kendall said. Voting machines were also working well at Trinity.

A veteran of five elections, Jack McCarter was working as chief judge at the Girls Inc. polling place today at 626 Washington Ave.

"We opened at 6:45 a.m. No one was waiting," McCarter said. He described turnout by mid-morning as kind of slow.

Polls close at 8 p.m.

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