Capital News Service reporters asked Maryland voters what brought them to the polls. We’ll share their stories here throughout Election Day.
Pam Hall, of Mount Rainier, votes to keep haters out of power
MOUNT RAINIER — Pam Hall is concerned about the state of democracy in the United States, “the temperament of people, the hatred, the unkindness.” She said she wants to keep people who spew hatred out of positions of power.
That is why the 59-year-old manager at a law firm took the time to vote on election day at Mount Rainier Elementary School.
She left with her “I voted”-sticker around 8:30 a.m., a busy time for the polling place. Some said they waited around 45 minutes to cast their ballot.
Hall has lived in Mount Rainier, a diverse city of about 8,200 residents nestled on the border with Northeast Washington, for more than 30 years. She said she has seen the neighborhood change from “drug-laden and violent” to where it is now, which she described as a close-knit and safe community.
“Folks are really good folks here. But I don’t see that outside of this,” she said.
Hall said there is no single candidate she trusts to steer the country in the right direction again. “Everybody puts on a front because they want to get elected,” Hall said. “Everybody has ulterior motives.”
No matter the outcome, Hall emphasized that her vote counts and will make a difference. She called on her fellow citizens to vote: “Don’t be a couch potato. Get out of the house. It takes a few minutes, and you’ll feel good afterwards.”
– By Lisa Woelfl, for CNS
Frederick voter advocates balancing transition to clean energy with economic need
FREDERICK — Gladys Balderson, who voted Tuesday at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Frederick, said economic issues leave her worried about her children and grandchildren.
“You know, my children, they’re struggling,” said Balderson, 79, a retiree living in Frederick. “Even though they’re in their fifties, they are struggling. … It’s just been awful hard.”
Balderson shared her concern that transitions to clean energy, and away from fossil fuels, could hurt people’s livelihoods.
“You know, we used to live on coal,” she said. “And I like good clean energy, too. But don’t make everything about not doing this and doing that. Let us get through what we’re getting through right now. Because we are really in bad shape.”
President Joe Biden said in a speech in California Friday that wind and solar energy would be replacing coal plants.
Balderson, a Republican, said she watches politicians from both major parties to decide whom to support.
“I’ve seen so much stuff going on, in both parties sometimes,” she said.
Still, Balderson said, “I’m sorry Biden is not doing the job right now.”
– By Stephanie Elizabeth Quinn, for CNS
UMD student wanted to vote for Maryland’s first Black governor
COLLEGE PARK — Jon Dennis, 19, a student at the University of Maryland, had at least three motivations to come to Ritchie Coliseum to vote Tuesday.
A first-time voter and a Democrat, Dennis said he wanted to vote for Democrat Wes Moore for governor. If elected, Moore would become Maryland’s first Black governor.
Dennis, of Silver Spring, also said he felt strongly about voting for the legalization of recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and older, which was a proposed constitutional amendment on the Maryland ballot.
“I think that it’s pretty important to get people out of jail for nonviolent possession crimes,” Dennis said.
He said he also strongly supports abortion rights.
“I don’t think that any man should be deciding whether a woman should keep her baby,” said Dennis. “Whether that be [for] a religious reason, financial reason, moral reason, whatever it may be, I think that’s their decision.”
The Supreme Court this year rolled back abortion protections in place since the high court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, and many supporters of abortion rights are looking to Congress and state legislatures to take the issue up.
– By William Beltran, for CNS
Frederick voters concerned about women’s rights, inflation
NEW MARKET — Trevia Hayden, 56, and her 18-year-old daughter, Rhaine Williams, dressed in white on Tuesday to honor the suffrage march of 1913, and to support women’s rights and autonomy.
The pair stopped by the New Market Middle School in Frederick County to vote.
Hayden, a psychiatrist living in Ijamsville, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta, a historically African American sorority committed to public service. Hayden said she’s been serving Frederick County residents as a physician since 1999.
She said she is concerned that in the last eight to nine years, America hasn’t had a “functioning democracy.” She said she brought her daughter with her to the polls to help her understand her generation must engage in democracy to make it work. She called it a “living and breathing thing.”
At the Evangelical Lutheran Church in historic downtown Frederick, Republican Steven Rabbit was raising concerns of his own – about inflation.
“Everybody should be worried about what’s going on in the country, and that’s why everybody should vote,” the Frederick resident said.
“Mr. Biden has been a huge mistake. I think he should be retired and stay that way,” Rabbit said. “I mean, look at the prices you’re paying for everything; what do you think that was caused by?” he asked.
– By Fatema Hosseini, for CNS
College Park conservative wants her voice heard
COLLEGE PARK — “It’s my right to vote, and I will not miss the opportunity to have my voice heard,” said 66-year-old Marlene Young after exiting Paint Branch Elementary School in College Park, where she cast her ballot for the General Election.
Young said she is a lifelong resident of Prince George’s County and now lives in College Park. Her grandchildren attend public school in the area, and she said she worries about the quality of their education.
She said she is also worried that, as a conservative, “there are issues that seem to be moving away from what my moral foundation is.” She did not elaborate.
“That’s part of what moved me to come out and make sure my voice is heard. In this county, I’m a minority as far as race and as far as political party,” she said. In Prince George’s County, about 17% of the population is white, according to 2021 U.S. Census data. And voter registration in Prince George’s leans more than 10:1 Democratic.
According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, 464,963 active voters in Prince George’s were registered as Democrats in September, compared to 37,836 registered as Republicans.
Young added she would like to see barriers to voting removed. “I wouldn’t mind seeing election day be a holiday for everyone, so there’s no excuse anywhere along the line for people not to have the ability to come out,” she said.
– By Mathew Schumer, for CNS
Is it the end of the world, as we know it, voter wonders
HYATTSVILLE — Voters trickled in slowly on this chilly Tuesday morning at Northwestern High School, a polling place down the street from The Mall at Prince George’s in Hyattsville.
No signs, no fanfare, no advocates making last-minute pitches were visible outside.
But a 31-year-old voter was willing to share his thoughts.
Ian Ferencz, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, College Park, was casting his ballot before heading to campus.
Ferencz, who is registered as an Independent, took issue with the lack of collaboration between political parties in the United States.
“Democrats are saying it’s the end of the world if Republicans win. Republicans are saying it’s the end of the world if Democrats win. So you kind of just got to wait and see what actually happens,” Ferencz said.
– By Malcolm Ferguson, for CNS
A Baltimore voter hopes Wes Moore is the right choice on crime
BALTIMORE — When it came to selecting a candidate who would address one of her most pressing concerns — crime in the city — Lisa Mitchell said she was disenchanted with nearly all her options.
“All the way around, it seems like no one’s really working, not from the government, to the mayor, not even the City Council,” the 61-year-old East Baltimore resident said.
“The crime is just terrible. It’s like every day, somebody’s child’s getting killed, and it’s got to stop.”
To date, Baltimore has recorded 290 homicides in 2022, according to Baltimore City Police. The city is on track to eclipse 300 murders for the eighth consecutive year, police data show.
Casting her vote on a brisk Tuesday morning at Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle School, Mitchell ultimately settled on Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore, who she hopes will improve collaboration between the governor’s office and Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott on reducing crime.
“I really think [Larry] Hogan was not for the city of Baltimore,” Mitchell said of the Republican governor. “He was basically for the county. So I’m gonna give Wes Moore this chance, just like I did Brandon. Brandon’s trying, but he can’t do it by himself.”
Mitchell said she was also motivated to vote against Question K, a local ballot measure that would establish a two-term limit on the city’s mayor, comptroller and council members. She said she was influenced by the fact that term limits have been touted on Fox 45 (WBFF), a local television affiliate of Sinclair Broadcast Group.
“Fox 45 is not really great, so I kind of voted against it, because they’ve been attacking us too long here in Baltimore,” Mitchell said.
– By Sapna Bansil, for CNS
Medical bills and rights of immigrants and women push voter to Democratic column
SILVER SPRING — Outside her polling place, Patricia Welanetz, 68, worried about rising medical bills.
“Health insurance for retired people is going up, and it is hard to keep up with the bills,” said the resident of Leisure World of Maryland.
Welanetz said she has lived in the community for residents 55 and up for three years and enjoys her life.
And despite rising inflation, she said she voted for Democrats this year.
“The rights to women and also the rights of illegal immigrants are what’s most important to me,” Welanetz said. When she was a teenager, her family moved to the United States from South America, and she remembers well the struggles of being a new immigrant.
She does not take her right to vote for granted, stating, “It is my civic duty, and I do it every time, and I hope my vote counts.”
– By Ryan Mercado, for CNS
Women’s and minority rights on Potomac voter’s mind
POTOMAC — Jonathan Goldman said his votes this year were votes for democracy.
“I’m very concerned with the rise of the right wing and the erosion of freedoms and democratic backsliding,” said Goldman, 27, of Potomac.
A communications worker at a nonprofit, Goldman said he hopes the Democrats can hold onto their majorities in Congress to codify rights granted in the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which were struck down this year by the court.
He said he fears for the rights of minorities. “I’m more generally concerned with my fellow Americans of color, women, just the direction of the country in general,” Goldman said.
Outside the polling place at Herbert Hoover Middle School, signs for Wes Moore and Dan Cox, the Democratic and Republican nominees for Maryland governor, caught his attention. Goldman said he voted for Moore. “I think Dan Cox is an election-denying Trumpist who shouldn’t be governor of anything,” he said.
– By Ryan Mercado, for CNS
A vote for candidates — regardless of party — who keep promises
MITCHELLVILLE — Victoria Harvey, a 58-year-old retired veteran from Bowie, said she doesn’t care whether the candidates she votes for are Republicans or Democrats.
Harvey said that voting should be more bipartisan, instead of “Democrats voting for Democrats and shooting down what Republicans want to do that may be best for all, and Republicans doing the same thing.”
Harvey said she is just looking for candidates who are going to make the changes that they say they’re going to.
Stopping to vote at Woodmore Elementary in Mitchellville, Harvey said she is concerned about the state of the economy, and inflation and foreign affairs. She didn’t elaborate.
Harvey said she doesn’t take her right to vote for granted.
“It is my civic duty to vote,” she said. “And you can’t make change unless you vote. So that was the determining factor for me coming out to vote today.”
– By Sununu Bah, for CNS
Abortion rights are key issue for Riverdale Park voter
RIVERDALE PARK — Barbara Jackson, 84, has lived in the same house in Riverdale Park for 40 years. She has been voting ever since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed.
As she made her way to Parkdale High School to cast her vote Tuesday morning, abortion rights was a key issue on her mind.
“I don’t think that you would want me to be able to say you have to go have a vasectomy, because I don’t want any babies,” Jackson said. That would be stupid, she said, adding, “If they would make the men who make these babies take care of them, then we wouldn’t have so many on welfare.”
Jackson gave birth to three children. She said abortion rights should be left up to the states, but she questioned why protections for women guaranteed under the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision of 1973 were taken away by a 2022 court ruling upholding federal restrictions on abortions.
“We’re talking about what, close to 50 years” ago, that protections were put in place, “and then all of a sudden now it becomes an issue. Why?” she asked.
One Maryland candidate that has stood out to Jackson is Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore, who she described as selfless and intelligent.
“We need leaders who are intelligent, who are not in this for their fame and fortune,” Jackson said. “And I think he’d be the one.”
– By Torrence Banks, for CNS
Leisure World voter worries about U.S. democracy
SILVER SPRING — Emilda Prosper’s voting experience Tuesday was quick and painless. She was in and out of the booth quickly with her white Apple headphones dangling in front of her, consumed by thoughts of democracy being on the line.
“This is a democratic country,” said the 72-year-old retired nurse who lives in Leisure World of Maryland, a 55-plus community in Montgomery County. “If we follow the other party and all that’s going on, we’re going to be, what, an autocratic (country), like Hungary and Turkey? This is a democratic country. Our rights, free speech, all of that is important.”
Prosper cast her votes at the community center, where she was greeted by a slew of campaigners, including the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, Aruna Miller.
Prosper said if Republicans win more offices, the views of former President Donald Trump would continue to spread.
“What if the other party won?” Prosper asked. “All the nonsense that’s going on … nothing’s gonna change.”
– By Dylan Manfre, for CNS
‘Unchecked development’ and criminal justice reform worry Frederick County voter
NEW MARKET — Matt Mawhinney, 45, who voted Tuesday at New Market Middle School in Frederick County, said he became an independent voter at 18. But he registered as a Republican a year and a half ago.
He worries about unchecked development and farms being replaced by high-rises.
“I grew up in Harford County,” Mawhinney said. “When I moved out here, it very much reminded me of growing up there.” But now, when he goes back to visit his brother, he said, “it’s just congestion on top of congestion.”
Mawhinney said state discussions about criminal justice reform “need to be buttoned up a little.”
A July Maryland Court of Appeals decision required judges to apply the “least onerous” conditions on bail for defendants not considered dangerous or flight risks.
Mawhinney said of repeat offenders, “They do something again, they get arrested, and then they’re released on their own recognizance, just to do it again.”
For Mawhinney, housing prices and the cost of living are more evidence that change is necessary.
“If you keep everything the same, it’s probably going to continue to go down the same path that it’s gone,” Mawhinney said. “If we mix it up a little bit, then maybe it could be different.”
– By Stephanie Quinn, for CNS
A Republican voter in one of Maryland’s bluest cities is optimistic about GOP chances
BALTIMORE — On a chilly Election Day morning, about an hour after sunrise, Jiri Cruz, 50, arrived at Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle School in East Baltimore ready to vote for Republican candidates up and down the ballot.
Cruz, a human resources and communications analyst and East Baltimore resident, cited crime, immigration and inflation as her biggest concerns in congressional races, where Republicans have the chance to claim majorities in both the House and Senate.
Cruz has, so far, been thoroughly dissatisfied with President Joe Biden’s tenure in the Oval Office.
“It’s a sad state of affairs. I can’t believe he’s even our president. It’s embarrassing,” said Cruz of Biden, for whom Baltimore voted for overwhelmingly in 2020, when the Democrat captured 87% of the city’s General Election vote.
While Cruz was optimistic about Republicans’ chances in races around the country, she was also keeping a keen eye on several state and local matters.
Among Cruz’s top concerns in local races and ballot measures were funds for schools and infrastructure, which she said have long been inadequate.
In Maryland’s gubernatorial race, Cruz said she voted for Republican nominee Dan Cox, whose plans and manner of speaking about the issues appealed to her.
“It sounds like he has some real solutions to tackling [Maryland’s issues]. And it’s not just, like, cookie cutter, like political responses that are just super generic,” Cruz said.
One key area where Cruz broke with Cox and many Republicans is abortion rights, which she said she supports unequivocally. Cox’s campaign site says he “defends the unborn and promises to protect all life from conception until natural death.”
“I find it extremely confusing, the fact that this is even a topic in D.C.,” Cruz said. “Like what a woman does with her body is nobody’s business.”
– By Gregory Morton, for CNS
Abortion rights a priority for Olney nurse
OLNEY — Beth Stringer has only missed voting once due to poor weather. She said she has always encouraged her daughters to vote as well.
For Stringer, a 68-year-old nurse from Olney, abortion was the big ticket item she was voting for during Tuesday’s General Election.
“I want them to have as many rights as I did,” Stringer said of her daughters, as she walked out of the Rosa M. Parks Middle School in Olney.
She added people have no right to complain about election results if they do not make their voices heard on election day.
— By Dylan Manfre, for CNS
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