Maryland voters begin selecting candidates for governor, other offices

June 24--A slight but steady stream of voters headed to the polls when they opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday as Marylanders began the process of determining picking their next governor and attorney general, as well as making their choices in a host of local elections.

Turnout for the primary election, held earlier in the year than normal, was expected to be low but some voters nonetheless were eager to register their preferences -- although some preferred to keep their choices private.

"The important thing is I didn't vote against anyone," said Democrat Noel Rose, 86, a Johns Hopkins doctor who voted Tuesday morning at in Baltimore's Guilford neighborhood. "It was a good field."

Rose, who says he's never missed an election, did say he was pleased with the direction the state had taken under Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is term limited, and would be happy to see measures he pushed, such as alternative fuels and especially gun control, continued.

In the first two hours of polling, 5,429 voters had cast ballots in Baltimore City, said Armstead B.C. Jones, Sr., director of the city's elections board.

Jones said there were a few early problems, including one polling place where no election judges showed up.

"We have substitute judges we keep downtown, so we dispatched judges out there," Jones said.

It was harder than usual to staff the polls for this primary, he said, because the June date conflicted with summer vacations.

There were reports of scattered issues elsewhere as well. A couple of Montgomery County precincts had problems with the electronic poll books used to check in voters, for example, but had back up procedures in place, said Nikki Baines Charlson,deputy administrator at the Maryland State Board of Elections.

"It's been a quiet morning," she said.

Campaign volunteers at the Guilford church said early turnout seemed lighter than usual, but had hopes that more voters would emerge during the post-work evening rush. Kristen Blumer, Bill Burgee and Hector Torres -- who respectively were working for incumbent State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein, attorney general candidate and current State Sen. Brian E. Frosh, and City Councilman and State Senate hopeful Bill Henry -- estimated that about 30 voters had crossed their path in the first 40 minutes that polls were open.

"It's been a little light. Usually there's a morning rush, but I haven't seen that yet," said Torres, 62, who sells real estate. "But I think it's too early to gauge. Hopefully they'll be here this evening."

Burgee, also 62, is among those who won't be at their polling places Tuesday -- but only because they were among the record 141,590 Marylanders cast ballots during the eight-day early-voting period that ended on Thursday.

That represents more than four percent of the electorate, and roughly double the early voters in the 2010 and 2012 primaries -- although there were no high-profile statewide races either of those years.

Quentin Freeman, 54, voted in Guilford for continuity: "I think there are some good initiatives that were started by Martin O'Malley and should be continued," said Freeman, who works in IT security for NOAA. "That's why I voted for Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown."

At Stoneleigh Elementary School in Baltimore County, Barbara and George Dersch arrived together but voted in separate primaries -- she is a Republican and he is a Democrat.

"We're basically conservative," George Dersch, 77, said of the political philosophy he and his wife of 55 years share.

"I voted for Doug Gansler," George Dersch said. "I think Brown is just a rubber stamp of Martin O'Malley. I just don't want to vote for the machine."

He said he worries that the Democratic Party in Maryland has become too liberal.

"I registered as a Democrat when I was very young," he said. "But they're getting pretty liberal."

He also voted for state Sen. Jim Brochin because the Baltimore County Democrat has proven that he's also not a "rubber stamp" for O'Malley or Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. The couple said Kamenetz lost their respect when he refused to repay hundreds of Baltimore County police retirees who were overcharged for health insurance.

"That didn't sit well with us," Barbara Dersch, 76, said. "Experience counts for a lot."

Jennifer Thien, a 54-year-old IT professional, said she thought both Brown and another gubernatorial candidate, Doug Gansler, represented the status quo. She cast her ballot at Hamstead Hill Elementary in Canton for the third Democrat in the race, State Del. Heather Mizeur.

"I like that she's very progressive," she said.

Also in Canton, Republican Spencer Pollock said he was voting for change as well.

"I'm sick of the state's policies. Taxes are too high," said the 28-year-old lawyer.

He voted for gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan. "I like that he's a moderate Republican because I'm more of a moderate Republican," he said. "I prefer Hogan's vision over the vision that we've had the last several years."

Pollock also said he would vote for Bernstein in the state's attorney's race. "I think it's been a good progress," he said. "I think Bernstein tackles the larger problems."

Bernstein, who successfully ousted Patricia Jessamy four years ago, is himself being challenged this time around by former assistant state's attorney Marilyn Mosby.

Election signs outnumbered voters for at least the first hour and a half the polls were open at Piney Orchard Elementary School in Odenton. During that stretch, 25 people showed up, said Kate Schechter, standing outside on behalf of the Democratic party.

Fortunately, she brought a book.

Still, with turnout expectations so low, "it's better than we thought," said Yulynda McKinney, an election judge. "No lines, but steady."

James Robertson, 68, was the only resident voting when he cast his ballot. The Odenton man, who is African American, said he's old enough to remember the struggle for voting rights and can't see why more people don't show up.

"Are their memories so short?" he wondered. "It's important for everybody to vote."

Robertson, a Democrat who works for the Maryland Transit Administration, voted for Mizeur. He likes some of her social policies and her plan to legalize and tax marijuana.

"You cut down on the jail population and taxes it takes to run it," he said.

That appeals to him in part because taxes in the state have him and his fiance thinking about moving to Pennsylvania or Delaware.

"We like Maryland," he said. "But ... these taxes are about to run us out of here."

Voters were faced with a full slate of candidates for governor in both parties:in addition to Hogan, Republicans have their choice of Harford County Executive David Craig, businessman Charles Lollar and Del. Ron George.

Seeking to replace Gansler as attorney general are Democrats Frosh and state delegates Jon Cardin and Aisha Braveboy.Attorney Jeffrey N. Pritzker is the sole Republican candidate for the office.

Local offices are also in play. In Anne Arundel, the county executive's office is in contention: Republican Laura Neuman, who was appointed to the post last year after John R. Leopold was convicted of misconduct, is being challenged by Del. Steve Schuh in their party's primary; Democrat George Johnson has no opposition for his party's nomination.

There were also votes to be cast for state senators and delegates, a number of county councils and school board seats as well as a mix of sheriffs and judges in some jurisdictions.

Many of the candidates were at the polls on Tuesday -- to vote, and to seek votes. For Brooke Lierman, who previously has worked for other candidates, such as presidential hopefuls John Kerry and Howard Dean, "it is a humbling experience" to run herself. Lierman, a Democrat from Fells Point running for state delegate in District 46.

"I've had such incredible support from so many friends, old and new. It's just been an amazing experience," she said. "It all comes down to today, but I don't regret it for a single second."

Polls are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Sun reporters Jamie Smith Hopkins, Doug Donovan and Matt Bracken contributed to this article.

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