Until last week, it might have been difficult in Harford County to tell a primary election involving presidential selections, delegates to national party nominating conventions, a four-way race for Circuit Court judge and a hotly contested race for the Republican nomination for one of Harford's three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives was less than six weeks away.
But Jim Massey, director of elections for Harford County, says the buzz about the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire presidential primary has awakened local voters to the point where "our phone has been ringing off the hook" with people wanting to know how to register for the Feb. 12 primary.
Massey said Thursday the elections office in Forest Hill had to hire somebody just to help out with the sudden boost in calls from people wanting information about how to register. And around lunchtime each afternoon, people have been standing in line most days to register in person, a change Massey calls "dramatic."
The sudden surge of interest is gratifying to Massey, a veteran of many elections as an Elections Board member who was selected to run the day-to-day operations of the elections office following the 2006 state and county general election.
Massey said he's especially noticed interest among younger voters, not unlike what occurred in both Iowa, which held its presidential preference caucus last week, and in New Hampshire, where Tuesday's first in the nation primary voting produced a record turnout. According to the Associated Press, 526,671 voted in New Hampshire Tuesday. The previous record was 396,385 in 2000.
In New Hampshire, people could register at the polls on Election Day, and television showed long lines of people doing just that. In Harford County and the rest of Maryland, the deadline to vote in the primary election is Jan. 22.
According to a press release from Massey's office, to vote in the Feb. 12th primary election, Maryland residents who are eligible to vote, but are not yet registered, must complete a voter registration applications and mail or hand-deliver the application to the Harford County Board of Elections at 133 Industry Lane in Forest Hill by 9 p.m. Jan. 22. Mailed applications must be postmarked by Jan. 22. Voter registration applications are available at the election office web site at www.harfordcountymd.gov/elections, or at the Motor Vehicle Administration office, public libraries, senior centers, post offices and social services agencies.
As of Dec. 31, Harford has 137,080 confirmed voters who are eligible to vote in the primary. Massey said there are another 10,397 voters who are classified as "inactive" because the elections office staff can't confirm they are living at the addresses shown on their registration form. These people can still vote, however, if they provide a verifiable new address, Massey said.
There were 136,541 Harford residents eligible to vote in the last general election in November 2006. Massey said he expects the current registration figure to climb significantly the remainder of this month until the Jan. 22 deadline.
The Dec. 31 registration figures include 59,255 Democrats and 58,606 Republicans. In the primary, only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote for the candidates in their respective party primaries. Massey said he has fielded a lot of calls lately from people who want to change their party affiliation. Unfortunately for them, the deadline to switch was last Nov. 19. The next opportunity to change party affiliation will be following the primary.
One group that will be able to vote in the primary whose status had been in limbo is 17-year-olds who will be 18 on or before General Election Day on Nov. 4. There had been a legal issue about the eligibility of some 38,000 young people statewide who fall into this area, but it has been resolved. Massey said about 200 17-year-olds already have registered provisionally in Harford County pending the resolution of the eligibility question. They can vote, as can any other 17-year-old who registers before Jan. 22 and will be 18 on or before Nov. 4.
Harford County's citizenry has a proud history of political engagement. If you aren't registered to vote, you have 12 days to get on board, so your voice can be heard at the polls on Feb. 12. |
