Maryland may not be a battleground, but polls statewide are still expected to be busy through the day today as voters choose the next President of the United States.
Sen. Barack Obama is widely expected to win Maryland with a strong showing in Baltimore City, where Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans. The heavily Democratic central part of the state could tip 10 electoral votes his way when ballots are counted later tonight.
Despite that expectation, early reports indicated a strong voter turnout at local polls.
“From the lines we’re hearing about this morning, people are excited, energized about the election,” said state Attorney General Douglas Gansler, a co-chair of Obama’s campaign in Maryland. “People want to say to their kids, I voted for Barack Obama, I didn’t stay in bed that day.”
Obama backers in Maryland have gotten excited enough to turn his campaign here into a major exporter of support to battleground states. Gansler said Maryland has placed the most phone calls for Obama of any state except California. The state campaign has also sent Obama supporters to Virginia, he said.
“What does that do? When I talked to the senator a month ago … he said, I know what you’re doing in Maryland, I know you’re number one,” Rep. Elijah Cummings, the state campaign’s other co-chair. “When you have the future president knowing that, he’s not going to forget that.”
Gansler said the election had also widened the Democratic majority in the state, with registered Democrats now outnumbering registered Republicans by just under 1 million people.
That margin could prove important for future elections, but means today’s turnout will likely be high, fueled by a historic moment.
“You hear people my parent’s age say all the time, I voted for John F. Kennedy,” Gansler said. “You don’t hear that about Gerald Ford.”
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