Voting in Westminster slow and steady during Tuesday’s primary
Voting was slow and steady at West Middle School in Westminster on Tuesday, as registered Republicans and Democrats in Carroll County cast ballots in the presidential primary election.
By 4 p.m., 402 people had voted at the middle school. Of that, 164 were Republican and 238 were Democrats, Erin Perrone, director of Carroll County Board of Elections stated in an email.
In total by 4 p.m., Tuesday, 10,160 voters had cast ballots at 25 locations in Carroll County. Of those, 7,442 are Republicans and 2,654 are Democrats.
Reather Miles, 60, of Westminster, was one of the registered Democrats who voted at West Middle School. Miles, a paraprofessional at East Middle School in Westminster, said she’s always voted in person on the day of the election. She had no plans to change now.
“[West Middle School] is right in my backyard; I always vote in person,” she said. “I’ve also always voted Democrat, and I will continue to do so.”
Miles said the ethics and character of a candidate is what she looks for when choosing her candidates.
“The current issues and the morality of the candidates matter to me,” she said.
Susanne Arthur, 76, also a registered Democrat, said that although she would like to see another woman in the U.S. Senate, she voted for David Trone, who she believed was a safe bet and more likely to get elected.
Arthur, a resident of Westminster, said she hoped to cast a ballot during the week of early voting in Carroll, but knee surgery kept her away.
Brett Howery, 56, of Westminster, who works as a recruiter for a health technology company, said he is a registered Republican who at times considers himself an independent.
“I feel there should be no labels,” he said. “People should run on what they stand for.”
Howery voted Tuesday for former Gov. Larry Hogan, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and former President Donald Trump. He considers voting his civic duty.
“I always vote,” he said. “It’s the Democratic way. So many people disregard voting, but it only takes 10 minutes of your time.”
Republican Stacey Pickett, 37, brought her 9-year-old daughter Morgan to the polls. She declined to reveal her voting preferences. A teacher at Gateway School in Westminster, Pickett said she prefers voting in person.
“I like coming out and doing it this way,” she said. “It’s my civic duty.”
Thomas Hennigan, 43, a teacher at Westminster High School, also declined to disclose his ballot choices.
A registered Democrat, Hennigan said he voted by mail during the COVI-19 pandemic, but with restrictions lifted, he’s back to in-person voting.
“I prefer it the old-fashioned way,” he said. “It’s an important time of year, but all [elections] are important.”