Election judges at Rodgers Forge Elementary in Baltimore County said the turnout had been slow but steady. By 9:10 a.m., only about 120 votes had been cast. A few people were lined up when the polls opened at 7 a.m., but “they had to wait until there was enough for a bridge game,” said judge Stuart Stainman.

Chief Judge Barbara Lynch, who has served as a judge for 30 years, said that turnout was about average for primary day, considering that only registered Democrats and Republicans could vote --- no independents or other parties.

She didn’t think early voting had had much of an impact in her precinct, because residents were pretty politically engaged. “People here, they like to come. They see their neighbors,” she said.

“They like to come in and find out the number” of votes cast, she added.

Gary Kreipl, 55, a registered Republican from Rodgers Forge, said he supported new candidates, such as Brian Murphy, a Republican running for governor -- though he couldn’t recall his name. “I’m kind of voting against incumbents. I got that fever.” He said he wished that incumbents were identified as such on the ballot.

Louis Zimmerman, 67, concurred. “I’d like to change them, all the incumbents,” he said. “But they seem to have a lot of political pull. I’m just one person.” He’s a registered Democrat, but said “it’s been long and few between that I’ve voted for Democrats” because he feels they don’t support veterans’ groups. Then again, “Republicans will tell you something and do something else.”

Ed Kleinman, 65, said the governor’s race drew him to the polls. “I wanted to see if I could keep teabaggers from running the country,” the Democrat said. “The more votes we can get in for Democrats, the less chance they have to get in.”

Peggy Feild, 61, said she didn’t support early voting. Going to the polls for an election is “one of the last things we have that we do as a community function.”

Meanwhile, at Dr. Bernard Harris Elementary School in the city, election judges were recording the hourly total of ballots. (Shown here, left to right, are Audrey Crumitie, Annie Cosby and Sarah Wagner.)

-- Liz Kay

Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston