The first two days of early voting in Montgomery County for the July 19 primary have featured low turnout, with many polling locations reporting no lines or wait times.
Early voting began Thursday, with 2,462 people turning out on the first day, according to a tally from the Montgomery County Board of Elections. That compares to 4,290 county residents who voted early on the first day in the 2018 primary election cycle.
The 14 early voting centers in the county all showed no wait times on the county board of elections website throughout the day Friday. The Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center in Chevy Chase was quiet Friday afternoon, with election judges reporting that there had been no lines during the day. As of 3 p.m., 200 people had voted at the center.
Statewide, the Maryland State Board of Elections was reporting that 18,398 people cast their ballot on the first day of early voting. In 2018, 31,024 voters across the state showed up on the first day of early voting for the primary.
Early voting runs through July 14.
The state Board of Elections was reporting Thursday that 104,786 mail-in ballots had been mailed to Montgomery County voters, and 4,494 completed ballots had been returned.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is July 12. Completed ballots must be received by local boards of elections by 10 a.m. on July 29, according to the state Board of Elections.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media
