So we think if anything, the June 24 scheduling of state primary elections is pretty much a work in progress.
Moving it from September was intended to give the winners from each primary more time to campaign for the November general election. The earlier schedule was also meant to give Americans serving the country or living overseas more time to get absentee ballots filled out and sent home.
Worcester County pretty much showed the same numbers as the state with 20 percent of its registered voters showing up at the polls.
County Commissioner Bud Church told us that when he walked into Ocean City Elementary School to cast his ballot, he was the only voter in the room with a group of precinct workers waiting for voters. He told us that at one Snow Hill precinct only had15 voters showed up the entire day.
Church felt the date change had everything to do with the lower turnout. Indeed, some 30 percent of the county’s voters turned out for the previous primary, which was held in September.
Berlin Maryland Gee Williams said he had a feeling that the date change wouldn’t work in our area because “May to September is make-it-or-break-it time for everybody here.”
Senator Jim Mathias, who ran unopposed in the primary, summed the issue up by saying that “change is something that takes time to catch up with, and the nature of the season here given our economy here has certain pressures.”
We agree that the earlier voting time will have some growing pains. We hope that the next June primary produces higher numbers statewide. But if it doesn’t, then we would urge the General Assembly to at least debate whether the date change was indeed a good change.
Moving it from September was intended to give the winners from each primary more time to campaign for the November general election. The earlier schedule was also meant to give Americans serving the country or living overseas more time to get absentee ballots filled out and sent home.
Worcester County pretty much showed the same numbers as the state with 20 percent of its registered voters showing up at the polls.
County Commissioner Bud Church told us that when he walked into Ocean City Elementary School to cast his ballot, he was the only voter in the room with a group of precinct workers waiting for voters. He told us that at one Snow Hill precinct only had15 voters showed up the entire day.
Church felt the date change had everything to do with the lower turnout. Indeed, some 30 percent of the county’s voters turned out for the previous primary, which was held in September.
Berlin Maryland Gee Williams said he had a feeling that the date change wouldn’t work in our area because “May to September is make-it-or-break-it time for everybody here.”
Senator Jim Mathias, who ran unopposed in the primary, summed the issue up by saying that “change is something that takes time to catch up with, and the nature of the season here given our economy here has certain pressures.”
We agree that the earlier voting time will have some growing pains. We hope that the next June primary produces higher numbers statewide. But if it doesn’t, then we would urge the General Assembly to at least debate whether the date change was indeed a good change.