MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Early voting centers in Montgomery County are seeing an unprecedented turnout as thousands flock to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2024 presidential election.
According to state data, it shows that roughly more than 22,000 people voted early on Thursday, the first day of early voting. In less than a week since then, at least 100,000 people in the county have cast their ballots.
“You know, you just want to put it in the bag basically, right? And so the best way to try to do that is to get our votes counted early,” said one voter, after casting her ballot at the Silver Spring Civic Center on Wednesday.
According to unofficial state elections board data, early voting turnout so far has surpassed the total number of votes cast in the primary election in May.
Some voters told DC News Now that security concerns, including the possibility of a contested election, led them to rush to polls early this year.
“I just wanted to make sure I got my vote cast just in case something funky was happening on Election Day,” one voter said.
However, Gilberto Zelaya, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Board of Elections, said his team is well prepared to count each ballot promptly.
“Right now, we’re pushing upwards of 195,000 voters by mail. As you can see, over the last five days, we’ve been averaging about 20 to 21,000 votes per day,” Zelaya said. “The turnout is high, the interest is high.”
Zelaya said his team has a bipartisan task force overseeing mail-in ballots and will have a live stream on election night demonstrating vote counting. The goal is to promote transparency and trust among voters who may be anxious over the electoral system.
As election night inches closer, people who voted early said casting their ballot in advance served as a form of relief to them.
“Honestly, the day I voted, it’s been stressful since,” a voter who cast her ballot early said. “But there was a huge relief that I felt that day knowing my vote was in.”
Early voting ends on Thursday. The following early voting sites are open in the county from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Activity Center at Bohrer Park
- Bauer Drive Community Recreation Center
- Damascus Community Recreation Center
- Executive Office Building
- Germantown Community Recreation Center
- Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center
- Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center
- Mid-County Community Recreation Center
- Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center
- Potomac Community Recreation Center
- Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Station
- Silver Spring Civic Building
- Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center
- White Oak Community Recreation Center
