Cross-posted from Sum of Change
Early voting in Maryland, new for the state, started this morning. The numbers we are seeing so far bode well for Democrats. We have received reports of 20 minutes lines in Bowie (second highest turnout in Prince George's County so far) and poll workers in Rockville tell us it has been busier than they expected.
I just got off the phone with a few of the County Boards of Elections, and the initial numbers confirm these reports. If you compare Prince George's County, one of the most pro-Obama counties in '08, with Carroll County, one of the most pro-McCain in '08, you can see what I mean.
Total votes as of 2:00pm today
Prince George's: 2,738
Carroll: 379
Carroll County votes come in at 13.8% of the total votes cast in Prince George's country. In other words, nearly 9 times as many people have voted in PG County as in Carroll. But PG is expected to have higher turnout, so it helps to look at how the two Counties compared in the 2008 election.
Total votes cast in 2008
Prince George's: 363,249
Carroll: 94,127
In 2008, Carroll County votes were equal to 25.9% of the total votes in PG County. That's almost 4 times as many people voting in PG as in Carroll, not nearly as impressive as the almost 9 times as many people voting in PG as Carroll this morning and afternoon.
As of right now, Democrats in Maryland appear to be on track to perform well in the 2010 elections, outperforming comparable results for the 2008 elections. There are plenty of days left for these numbers to change, but it would seem that if there is an enthusiasm gap in Maryland, it may be favoring the Democrats.