Voter turnout was slow across polling locations throughout the Laurel area Tuesday morning as residents headed to the polls to cast ballots in Maryland’s primary election.
Editorial teams from The Laurel Independent reported from polling locations throughout the greater Laurel area in Prince George’s, Howard and Anne Arundel counties and found turnout remained light across much of the region.
Polling locations opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.
Voters across the Laurel area are helping decide who will advance to the general election in several county and local races. The contests will help shape policy on issues including education, public safety, development and transportation.
At Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel, election officials said only five voters had cast ballots as of 9 a.m.
Chief Judge Chester Shannon said things had been “very quiet” at the school but was hopeful turnout would increase later in the day.
“We can only hope that [voters are] at work, and [they’ll vote] after they get off work,” Shannon said.
Shannon said one of the site’s three ballot-scanning machines was malfunctioning and election officials were waiting for a repair technician to arrive.
Still, voters were able to cast ballots using the remaining machines.
Latisha Johnson, a teacher with D.C. Public Schools who lives in Laurel, said education funding and school lunch programs motivated her to vote Tuesday morning.
“All students pretty much come to school and eat. Some parents may not be able to afford… to take care of them for them to eat,” she said. “But if the children can’t eat how can they [politicians] sit and watch that?”
In North Laurel, voting booths were empty and voters were sparse by late Tuesday morning.
Outside Murray Hill Middle School, voters said they viewed the primary as their best opportunity to influence the outcome of local races.
“Howard County is just so blue, I figured it’d be more important to vote during the Democratic primary, so I get more of a say,” said Dan Hitchko of North Laurel.
Hitchko said infrastructure funding was a major priority for him, particularly after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024.
Turnout also remained slow at Brock Bridge Elementary School in Maryland City, where election officials said only 34 votes had been cast as of 10 a.m.
Fran Gower, chief judge at Brock Bridge Elementary School, has worked elections since 2004 and said early voting has contributed to reduced Election Day turnout.
“We don’t, in past years, seem to get as many people coming out for the gubernatorial and the primary,” she said, adding that turnout had been sporadic since 7 a.m.
The Laurel Independent will continue covering Tuesday’s primary election on its website and Facebook page.
Joshua Garner contributed to the article.