COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Reliably Democratic Maryland was called by the Associated Press for Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race Tuesday night.
Although the State Board of Elections will not declare an official winner until every vote is tallied, AP made its announcement at 8 p.m. sharp, just as polls closed.
“Every vote counts and I’m going to count every vote,” State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis told the press Tuesday morning at Northview Elementary School in Bowie.
Long lines reported in college towns at the scheduled close of polls delayed the State Board of Elections in releasing preliminary results until after 9 p.m. The state continues to update those unofficial results online as precincts report.
CNS confirmed that nearly 200 students were still in line for the University of Maryland, College Park polling place at 10 p.m. Some said they had waited in line for over four hours. Any voter in line by 8 p.m. was allowed to vote.
While the race was a nail-biter in swing states like neighboring Pennsylvania, Maryland was no surprise. It has consistently voted for Democratic presidential candidates since 1992. President Joe Biden won the state in a landslide in 2020 with nearly two-thirds of the vote. Hillary Clinton also won Maryland comfortably in 2016.
Election Day 2024, in Photos:
Tonya Hunter, 56, and her mother Joyce Anita Hunter, 80, were excited to vote for Harris in Bowie. They told Capital News Service this was the first presidential election they’ve participated in since President Barack Obama was on the ballot.
Tonya Hunter said having a woman in the Oval Office would be a “new flavor.”
“Girl power, you know?” she said.
Tonya said she’s energized by Harris’ proposal to offer some first-time home buyers $25,000 in assistance for a down payment. Hunter said housing is her top issue because she and her mother share a one-bedroom apartment. She said they are both retired and live on fixed incomes, but they hope to upgrade to a larger space.
Monica Mische, 57, was at the polls in Greenbelt with her teenage son, who was voting for the first time.
The registered Democrat told CNS she chose Harris because “she respects the dignity of every human being and is inclusive, and would be a better steward of our democracy and of our planet.”
Mische said she canvassed Sunday in Western Pennsylvania for the Harris-Walz campaign, where she said she encountered apathy from many young voters.
“You know, decisions will be made regardless of whether you vote,” Mische said she told those voters. “It’s better to have some voice, at least in some aspect of it, because otherwise you’re not counting, and you’re not participating in democracy.”
Krish Suri of Greenbelt, 20, is an independent voter who told CNS he struggled to make a decision but turned out for Harris in the end. The Montgomery College student said he doesn’t care for how Trump talks about women or how Republicans talk about certain racial groups.
“It was very hard, to be quite honest, because I like things from the Republican side and I like things from the Democratic side. But mainly, it’s just I feel like the Democrats are more humane,” he said.
In spite of the presidential race in Maryland being nearly pre-determined, Trump voters were still at the polls to make their voices heard.
Republican Bill Coleman told CNS at College Park City Hall that he voted for Trump because the economy and border security are top of mind this election.
The 65-year-old College Park resident said he learned from his 22 years in the Marine Corps that leaders don’t have to be likable.
Many people hate Trump, Coleman said, but Trump’s background as a businessman makes him stand out as a strong candidate.
“He’s not your typical politician,” Coleman said.
Mikhail Robinson, 37, is an unaffiliated voter in Bowie who works for the Department of Commerce. He told CNS that he made his decision in the past week after researching Trump’s and Harris’ policy positions and track records.
“There’s some things on the Democratic side I kind of agree with, and then there’s things on the Republican side I kind of agree with. So I had to kind of weigh which one impacted more.”
Robinson said he ultimately chose the Trump-Vance ticket because he believes the Biden White House “dropped the ball” on border security and he felt the economy was stronger under Trump’s presidency.
While the polls were busy on Election Day, Marylanders also voted early in record numbers. DeMarinis said in a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon that 38 percent of registered voters in Maryland had already cast 1.6 million ballots by mail or in person during early voting.
“One hundred percent turnout is the goal,” he told CNS.
Despite Trump’s attempt to cast doubt over the integrity of the elections, DeMarinis told reporters he was not aware of any threats to poll workers or voter intimidation.
“Civility has reigned supreme in Maryland so far,” he said.
DeMarinis added that there have not been any reports of technological glitches with ballot marking devices or scanners.
Rhiley Jones, 21, originally from Bowie, and Camille Dickerson, 21, from Waldorf, Maryland, volunteered for Democrat Angela Alsobrooks’ Senate campaign outside the Greenbelt Community Center. Both are undergraduate students at the University of Maryland studying government and politics and criminology, respectively.
Jones told CNS she was nervous about the presidential race but she tried to stay optimistic.
“You just have to hope that it works out in the Democrats’ favor, because it’s very close,” Jones said.
“If it doesn’t, I’m just praying for a peaceful transition in power,” Dickerson said.
Steps away, a young boy played in the freshly fallen leaves after his mom finished voting. Turning to a nearby lawn sign, he asked her, “Who’s Harris Walz?”
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