For Maryland, the first day of early voting showed approximately 20,000 more people cast a ballot, totaling about 161,000, than had cast a ballot on any other single-day of early voting in state history, according to coverage by Delmarva Now.
While Maryland started early voting much later than states such as Texas – which saw more early ballots cast than during the entire 2016 election – voters made up for the lost time, setting new early-voting records for the state.
With early ballots equal to 77.6% of the total ballots cast four years ago, Maryland is also ahead of the national average of 70.9%, according to the U.S. Elections Project.
The majority of early voting in Maryland was by mail, with approximately 1.7 million ballots sent out and 1.3 million returned as of Monday morning. In that same timeframe, 861,978 voters had waited in line to cast their ballots in-person.
James McQueen, Sr., of Lusby, recently told Maryland State Wire that he intended to vote in every race on the ballot, though the presidential race was especially important to him.
The biggest concern that drives McQueen’s voting position is the way in which the government has moved away from the way it should work, he said.
“The federal government’s got too many fingers into too many pies, we’ve got too much debt – we’ve got runaway debt; we’re not even paying attention to it – and what I’m more worried about today than I have been in years, is really my grandkids and the future of the country,” McQueen said.
McQueen said he was also interested in the congressional races and ballot questions.
“There’s two questions on the ballot, one about financial management of the state, and the other one on gambling,” he told Maryland State Wire.
Yet, as much attention as this election has garnered, McQueen told Maryland State Wire he thinks voting is always important.
“I think every election you need to vote, and this one here – I live in a Democratic state, but I still vote, no matter what,” McQueen said.
As a former Pennsylvania resident, McQueen said that he saw that state turn red after years of that seeming impossible, so voters should never give up their home state as being guaranteed one way or the other.
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