Fiery Presidential Race Pushing Marylanders To The Polls
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The highly contentious presidential race is pushing people to the polls. Early voting has hit record numbers in Maryland, as voters rush to make their voices heard.
A lot of voters on both sides of the aisle tell WJZ's Meghan McCorkell they are worried about the outcome of the election.
The fiery race for the White House has Marylanders making their voices heard.
"If Donald Trump wins, I suggest the United States run... run!" said Ursula White, voter.
"I don't want Hillary to get in there and name these judges," said Phillip Wagner, voter.
The first day of early voting shattered records, with more than 125,000 Marylanders casting ballots, compared to 107,000 on the last day of early voting in 2012.
"We had a huge turnout yesterday. We easily tripled our numbers from the first day of the primary," said Eduardo DeLima, Baltimore County Elections Board.
"It's going to be a big impact for every American," said Carolyn Davis, voter.
UMBC School of Public Policy Director Donald Norris says the numbers are surprising.
"It's really odd because typically when you have a negative campaign, and this campaign has been terribly, terribly negative, it depresses turnout. But this has not depressed turnout," said Norris.
Both candidates are now focused on swing states, with Donald Trump stumping in New Hampshire and Hillary Clinton pushing voters to the polls in Iowa.
The outcome of the election is weighing heavily on voters.
"I think the situation is very serious, and we've got to get the right person in," said Patrick Laurie, voter.
"It's really been a source of stress and anxiety for a good 24-months," said Jerome Bivens, voter.
"We need the right president in there because we're losing jobs," said Ken Falkenstein, voter.
"This election is the most important election I've ever known," said Roseanne Thomas, voter.
The final results are now just 11 days away.
Early voting continues in Maryland through November 3.
The polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
