Advocates go to court over hourslong delay at Prince George’s County polling place

A Prince George’s County circuit judge rejected an emergency request Tuesday by the NAACP and the League of Women Voters of Maryland that she extend voting in a Laurel precinct until midnight, after hourslong delays in voting earlier in the day caused some voters to turn away.

The problems at the Robert J. DiPietro Community Center in Laurel marred what election officials reported was otherwise a heavy, but smooth day of voting.

Election Day turnout followed record early voting for a gubernatorial election, with more than 1 million ballots cast before Tuesday. At least 1.86 million people voted in all, according to early returns, about 43% of the state’s 4.3 million registered voters.

In the Laurel case, the two groups filed an emergency court action Tuesday night against the Prince George’s County Board of Elections to “protect voters who were allegedly unable to cast a ballot for approximately four hours” at a polling place in Laurel on Election Day.

Their complaint said ballots were not delivered on time to the DiPietro Community Center, and that when the polling place did open, there were further delays because voting equipment did not work. It asked for a temporary restraining order that would have kept the polling place open until 11L59 p.m.

Early voting, mail-in ballots in Maryland likely to top 1 million before Election Day

“These problems effectively closed the polling place for approximately four hours and violated voters’ rights under federal and Maryland law,” said Nikki Tyree, executive director of the league.

But Circuit Court Judge Tiffany H. Anderson rejected the request, citing technical problems with the filing and its timing, in addition to legal shortcomings. She noted that the request to keep polls open came “41 minutes after the polls closed, and the actual TRO [temporary restraining order] was filed 1 hour and 46 minutes after the polls closed” at 8 p.m. She also said the complaint did not claim “that any person was denied the ability to vote, only that there were issues earlier in the day.”

“Maryland statutes are clear that anyone in line at a polling location who is in line prior to the location closing at 8pm must be allowed to vote,” Anderson wrote. There is no irreparable harm from the delays at the community center, “as any voter who wanted to vote had the opportunity to vote … as long as they were in line prior to the polling location closing.”

Voters at the DiPietro Community Center were told late Tuesday afternoon that they could be in line for hours before casting their ballots. Jazmynn Wilson, a Laurel resident and elementary school teacher, said the long wait was “ridiculous,” considering how long officials had to prepare for a smooth election.

“That shouldn’t be the case. It’s a way to discourage people, because the line is three hours long right now,” Wilson said. “I’m sad that [voters] have to wait in those long lines to do something that should be simple, especially with technology and AI and all the things we can do.”

While many were frustrated with the wait time, others viewed it as a potential positive. Laurel resident Ian Coles, who works at a local Chick-Fil-A, said the long wait time wouldn’t deter him as he headed into the poll. To Coles, longer lines could mean that more people are eager to vote.

Economic concerns and personal freedoms, he said, were at the forefront of his mind in his mission to vote on Tuesday. He also feels citizens have gotten too relaxed with the federal administration’s actions, especially because they don’t believe their “voices carry power.”

“We’ve kind of become aimless as a country,” Coles said. “I think [elections], while on a smaller scale, can hopefully make larger ripples as we go.”

Voters gave a variety of reasons for turning out to vote Tuesday, from taking a stand on Question 3, the constitutional amendment on congressional redistricting, to pushing for change on the cost of living and expressing their anger at President Donald Trump. Some came out because they feel it’s an obligation to vote.

Ella Gericke, a longtime southeast Baltimore resident, said she voted in favor of Question 3 because it was backed by top Democrats. But she said it was her frustration with high prices drove her to the polls Tuesday — and she blames Trump.

“You take a $20 bill in the store, and I got a jar of mayonnaise and a couple bananas,” said Gericke, who lives in Brewers Hill. “That’s it.”

Aaron Tracey of Baltimore said he went to the polls to vote for Democrats, and hopes that the party is able to take control of Congress.

“Between ICE, the war in Iran and just all these major changes that haven’t been stopped by anyone —  I hope if the Democrats do get a majority, they can at least push back and try to revert some of these changes,” Tracey said.

For Tracey, there weren’t any particularly competitive congressional races on the ballot, with all seven incumbent Democrats in the Maryland delegation to the U.S. House expected to be reelected. But Tracey said he wanted to vote anyway, to ensure he’d done his part.

“I want to make sure that, at the very least, if something doesn’t change, I at least know that I voted to try and make a change,” Tracey said.

Eric Leath, 57, is a registered Democrat an auto parts salesman living in Kent Island, said he voted in favor of Question 3 because he believes the federal courts will push back against any unfair maps drawn in the future.

“The Supreme Court actually has final say,” he said. “It won’t be like the governor saying ‘I’m drawing the lines and here you go.’ At least there’s someone actually reviewing whatever he’s doing, whoever they may be … At least there’s checks and balances.”

Until recently, Kent Island resident Kim Wheatley, 63, was a registered Democrat, but she switched parties this year and voted for Dan Cox for governor Tuesday evening at Kent Island High School.

“I really wanted Dan Cox to win this year,” she said. “I was really tired of what we’ve been dealing with.”

She said that she was no longer aligning issues that the Democrats were focused on, including the Question 3, which would let Democratic lawmakers redraw congressional District 1, the only seat held by a Republican.

“I said no to it,” she said. “I think things are fine the way they are.”

Although Dorthea Taylor of Prince George’s County walked with a slight limp to vote Tuesday morning, she said it’s important for “people to do their civic duty.”

When it came to Question 3, Taylor said one person helped convince her to vote “yes” for it: former President Barack Obama (D), who appeared in a series of last-minute ads urging Marylanders to vote for Question 3.

“He doesn’t speak arbitrarily, and he doesn’t just put his name on anything. He doesn’t just endorse every Democratic idea, or candidate, or whatever,” Taylor said. “He’s my forever president.”

Early in the day, Maryland State Election Administrator Jared DeMarinis was expressing hope for “robust” turnout and optimism for smooth operations, despite the many things that could go wrong, from staffing and supplies to lines and weather.

“Everything’s a pressure point. I got nearly 2,000 precincts,” DeMarinis said early Tuesday. “It is a massive operation to think about logistically, and you have this one-day, finite number of hours to do it.”

Despite the problems in Laurel and other scattered issues, however, officials said the day was generally smooth, under clear and warm skies.

“There’s always you know outliers, but nothing of major you know significance, and the local directors were able to resolve those things. No no issues for voters or impacting voting,” DeMarinis told reporters outside the Burtonsville Elementary School precinct in Montgomery County.

Justice Department monitors

One area of potential friction this election, besides the occasional long wait, was the presence of Justice Department monitors to Prince George’s County polling places for compliance with federal law requiring language assistance be provided to voters who need it.

It’s not unusual for federal officials to monitor local elections, but the monitoring this year comes at a fraught time between state elections officials and the Trump administration. Maryland is one of more than two dozen states that have fought attempts by Justice to access highly sensitive voter data.

DeMarinis said statements made by federal officials coupled with the monitoring have created some apprehension with voters. He said the presence of the monitors should have no effect.

“They’ve come in the past,” DeMarinis said, adding that election officials have made an effort to alert the public to the presence of federal monitors this year.

“They are limited in their scope. They can’t interfere, harass, threaten, or talk to voters in the process. They’re just going to be observers,” he said.

Fast response to problems is the order of the day, he said.

“Today is the Election Day. There is no more tomorrow,” DeMarinis said. “If a voter walks away, I get upset because that means that that voter basically was disenfranchised, didn’t make their voice heard. I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure that we rapidly respond, and that nobody is going to be turned away, walk away because of any sort of one of our issues.”

— Maryland Matters reporters Danielle J. Brown, Christine Condon and William J. Ford contributed to this report.