Low Number of Voters at Potomac Polling Places

Update, 6:55 p.m.: Many poll workers in Potomac were left wondering what kind of 5 p.m. rush they were supposed to expect, as polls are still showing low voter turnout in many precincts for Tuesday's primary elections.

At 5 p.m. poll workers at Ivymount School, the polling place for Precinct 4-32, had not seen much change from their numbers at 3 p.m. Around 3 p.m., 142 voters come to the location — a number consistent with most primary elections, said John Vasko, chief election judge for the precinct.

"At this precinct, most people come out to vote in the morning, so we aren't anticipating many more people," Vasko said.

The Precinct 10-12 voting location at Bells Mill Elementary School saw only a few more people come in around 5 p.m. — a time many polling locations were anticipating an increase in voters. As of 5:30 p.m., about 380 people voted at the precinct.

"We had a bit of a rush, if you can even call it a rush," said Mark Kirsh, chief election judge for the precinct. "Overall, we have had very little wait in lines or wait for machines."

Precinct 10-04, which covers Cabin John, also voted at Bells Mill Elementary School, but has not seen as many people come to vote. At 5:45 p.m., 260 people voted at the precinct. Pam Murphy, chief election judge, said that more people may show up around 7 p.m. because many people in the area work later.

Voters are coming to the polls with a good idea of who they want to vote for, said Gopal Katragadda, who voted for Hans Riemer as the at large candidate for County Council, he said. 

"I voted for him because of his endorsements and all that he can contribute to the council," Katragadda said.

Update, 2:03 p.m.: Several polling locations in Potomac are seeing more voters, but at a slow rate.

At around 10 a.m., 103 voters participated in Precinct 10-05, which was stationed at Herbert Hoover Middle School. Voters were slow to start and, although it has picked up the last few hours, there has not been a big turnout, said Allan Rotman, chief election judge for the precinct. 

"We knew it would be light, but we were expecting more people in the morning," Rotman said.

Around noon, 281 people from Precinct 04-12 had voted at Winston Churchill High School — a pace the chief election judge, David Levine called slow and steady.

Our Lady of Mercy School — the polling location for Precinct 10-09 — had 148 voters participate by 1 p.m. The turnout so far has been lighter than expected, although it could still pick up, said chief election judge Kathleen Williams.

"In the 2008 primaries, we were close to an 80 percent turnout in the precinct, but this year, we won't even get a third of the precinct's participation," Williams said. 

Even though numbers are low, many voters are still getting to their polling location and voting for the candidates that matter to them. Ilene Schneider, a resident of Precinct 04-12, voted with the "apple ballot" — a list of candidates endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association.

Voting with the apple ballot helps make education a priority and ensures that the Board of Education is staffed with members who want a new superintendent as forward-thinking as the current Montgomery County Superintendent Jerry Weast, Schneider said.

"The apple ballot is made up of people who have their hearts and minds in Montgomery County and are interested and invested in education," Schneider said.

Update, 9:45 a.m.: Many polling centers in Potomac are reporting a low number of voters Tuesday morning for primary elections.

The doors opened to voters at 7 a.m., and no major complications have been reported at local polling places.

At about 7:30 a.m., 12 people had voted at Potomac Elementary School — the voting location for Precinct 10-02, which covers parts of Avenel, Potomac Falls and several streets on Falls Road. The turnout was less than expected, said Democratic Precinct Chair Lora Drezner.

"We've only had a handful of people this morning," Drezner said. "It's been very quiet."

The Potomac Community Center — the polling location for Precinct 10-13, which covers Glen Road and other streets on Falls Road — reported 28 voters around 7:45 a.m. The number of voters is typical for primary elections, said Anne Angstandt, the chief election judge for the precinct.

Potomac Community Center had five functioning machines for voters to use.

Precinct 40-23 voting took place at Cold Spring Elementary School and had 62 voters around 8:30 a.m. The precinct, which covers Falls Chapel Road, Potomac Commons and Montrose Road to Seven Locks Road, had nine working machines this morning after two machines stopped working.

"Our location has been running smoothly and opened on time this morning," said chief election judge for the precinct Leonard Raymo.

Democratic candidate for District 15 of the House of Delegates, David Fraser-Hidalgo handed out fliers at Cold Spring Elementary School as a last effort to sway voters.

"[Voter turnout] is low," Fraser-Hidalgo said. "It would be nice if there were more voters."