Early Voting

Counting the more than 19,000 votes cast in Tuesday's primary election was delayed for about an hour while election workers tallied the 833 ballots cast during early voting, Washington County Election Director Kaye Robucci said Wednesday. The primary election was the first in which Maryland voters could vote early, and in Washington County that was done from Sept. 3 to 9 at the former PNC Bank building at 128 W. Washington St., Robucci said. The 14 voting machines used during early voting were kept secure from Sept.

"Vote early, vote often," the saying goes. The second part still is illegal, but this year, Maryland is giving people an option on the first part. Voting will be with a touch-screen system, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. There will be at least one early-voting polling place in every jurisdiction for the primary and general elections. In Washington County, it will be the county office building at 35 W. Washington St. Early voting for the primary will take place from Sept.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A ballot measure approved Tuesday puts Maryland on track to join 31 states, including West Virginia, with early voting. Pennsylvania doesn't have early voting, but has considered it, Leah Harris, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania's Department of State, said in a voice-mail message. Maryland's measure will let people vote up to two weeks before an election, anywhere in the state. Votes will be secured until the election. About 72 percent of the votes were in favor of the constitutional amendment, which allows the Maryland General Assembly to pass an early-voting law. The legislature isn't required to take action, but the approval of the amendment likely will be considered a public mandate.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A ballot measure approved Tuesday puts Maryland on track to join 31 states, including West Virginia, with early voting. Pennsylvania doesn't have early voting, but has considered it, Leah Harris, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania's Department of State, said in a voice-mail message. Maryland's measure will let people vote up to two weeks before an election, anywhere in the state. Votes will be secured until the election. About 72 percent of the votes were in favor of the constitutional amendment, which allows the Maryland General Assembly to pass an early-voting law. The legislature isn't required to take action, but the approval of the amendment likely will be considered a public mandate.

In a victory for the preservation of the integrity of the electoral process, an Anne Arundel County judge on Friday overturned Maryland's early-voting laws. Circuit Court Judge Ronald Silkworth stayed his ruling to provide time for an appeal to the Maryland Court of Appeals. But to overturn it, the state's highest court would have to ignore Judge Silkworth's citing of the Maryland Constitution, which says that voters "shall" cast ballots in their local elections district on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Editor's note: Each week, The Herald-Mail invites readers to answer poll questions on its Web site, www.herald-mail.com. Readers also may submit comments about the poll question when voting. Each Sunday, a sampling of edited reader comments will run in The Herald-Mail. Last week, there were two poll questions. The first question was: Do you support a referendum that would allow early voting in Maryland? o "Why?? Never understood this 'early' voting. One has all day to vote and if you're on vacation, you get an absentee ballot.

Maryland will have early voting before an election for the first time this year. Early voting is a period before an election day when people can vote. In Maryland, it will be every day from Sept. 3 to 9 (including Labor Day), minus Sept. 5. The primary will be Sept. 14. Washington County will have one early-voting site: the PNC Bank Building, 128 W. Washington St., Hagerstown. Voting will be the same as it would be on Election Day. Using a touchscreen system, voters can make their picks, review them and change them before they cast their ballots.

Early voting in the City of Martinsburg's highly contested municipal election begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall, according to the city's chief election officer. If voters are unable to get to their assigned precinct on June 12, which is Election Day, they may cast their votes early through Saturday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to City Recorder Gena Long. Early voting will not be held June 2 and 3. Early voting will take place in the J. Oakley Seibert Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall at 232 N. Queen St. and ballots will available at Long's office, also on the second floor.

Turnout for early voting in Washington County has been low, but election officials said they think the rate will increase as residents become familiar with the new service. While people were enjoying the Labor Day holiday Monday, election workers were open for business at the PNC Bank Building at 128 W. Washington St. in Hagerstown. Early voting is being offered for the first time in Maryland this year, and as of about 5 p.m. Monday, voting for the day at the West Washington Street location stood at 123 people, election officials said.

ANNAPOLIS (AP) -- Legislation to create early voting in Maryland cleared the General Assembly late Monday night, and Gov. Martin O'Malley has indicated he will sign the bill. For 2010, early voting will be allowed for six days, beginning on the second Friday through Thursday before the election, but not on the Sunday that falls between them. An early voting site to be chosen six months before the primary election. The bill also authorizes a local board to establish an early voting site at a shopping mall.

The 10-day early voting period for the special election for the City of Martinsburg's police levy begins Saturday at 9 a.m. Martinsburg residents can vote early in the May 11 election at City Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through May 8 (excluding Sundays), according to City Recorder Gena Long, the city's chief election officer. Voters are being asked to vote on whether to renew the levy at the current rates. If renewed, the owner of a residential property valued at $100,000 would receive a $63 tax bill, officials have said.

Md. lawmakers approve natural gas surcharge bill ANNAPOLIS (AP) - Natural gas companies would be able to seek a surcharge of up to $2 on monthly gas bills to help recover costs for replacing aging infrastructure, in a measure approved by state lawmakers Thursday. The Senate voted 35-12 after spirited debate. The House of Delegates' vote was 120-17. The measures are similar and any differences will need to be worked out for the legislation to go to Gov. Martin O'Malley. Lawmakers who supported the bill said companies need the cash to help replace aging pipes and address safety concerns.

Navy Chaplin Washington Johnson of Hagerstown voted early for the first time Friday and said that he understands the importance of voting, having grown up in Birmingham, Ala., a major location of the civil rights movement. “It is an act that I have to participate in, and I take it very serious,” he said. “I wanted to be ahead of the crowd. On Election Day people can stand in line for an hour.” Friday was the last day of early voting in Maryland for the 2012 General Election.

The storm that blasted the East Coast this week has slightly altered the election process in Maryland. Two of Maryland's six days of early voting were canceled because of the bad weather. An extra day will be added on Friday, giving the public five days to vote early before the Nov. 6 general election. Also, early-voting centers will stay open three extra hours each day. In West Virginia, early voting was suspended, only for Tuesday, in six counties - including Jefferson and Morgan - because of the storm.

Whether it was the high stakes in the election or the prospect of Hurricane Sandy wreaking havoc in the area, the first day of early voting in Maryland drew a big crowd Saturday at the American Red Cross of Washington County building on Conrad Court. “I wanted to beat the crowd, but as you can see, they all followed me here,” Joe Hamilton of Hagerstown said as he stood near the end of a line that stretched halfway around the building. He said the predictions of bad weather also were a factor in his decision to come out early.

Stephen Sparks of Martinsburg said he made an impromptu decision to vote early in the Nov. 6 general election at the Berkeley County Courthouse annex Thursday afternoon. “I was walking to the library and the door was open,” Sparks said after casting his ballot at the county's early voting location. Among the last to cast ballots Thursday, Ruth Ann Evans of Hedgesville, W.Va., said she voted early for the first time since moving to the county from Virginia, where early voting isn't available.

Maryland's early-voting period for the Nov. 6 general election starts Saturday. Early-voting centers will be open from Oct. 27 through Nov. 1. In Washington County, early voting will be done at the American Red Cross of Washington County building at 1131 Conrad Court in Hagerstown. This is the third year of early voting in Maryland and the first time for a presidential election, said Kaye E. Robucci, Washington County's election director. For the April 3 primary, turnout in Maryland was 2.40 percent during the early-voting period.

Martinsburg Mayor George Karos won a fourth four-year term in Tuesday's municipal election, but there will be three new Martinsburg City Council members, according to complete, unofficial results. With all 12 precincts reporting, Karos, the 80-year-old pharmacist, a Democrat, received 935 votes to defeat Republican challenger Michael Bochinski, 51, who received 328 votes in the mayoral race. In Ward 2, newcomer Kevin Knowles, 53, received 139 votes to defeat incumbent Richard L. Yauger, 79, who received 58 votes.

Martinsburg residents will be able to vote early in the city's municipal election on Saturday and on June 9, City Recorder Gena Long said Thursday. Long, the city's chief election officer, said she was advised by Secretary of State Natalie Tennant's office that early voting is to be held on two Saturdays prior to the June 12 election, instead of only one Saturday as previously announced. Early voting in the election began Wednesday at City Hall, and ballots can be cast from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day through June 9, except Sunday.