UPDATE (5:37 p.m.)—Kim Middlecamp said the line outside her polling place, Gunpowder Elementary, was "refreshing."
"I'm glad to see a high voter turnout," Middlecamp said after casting her ballot.
She was one of thousands of Perry Hall community members who cast their votes for president, members of Congress and several referendums Election Day Tuesday morning. Many brought children and chatted with neighbors in line.
Middlecamp voted for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president. "I have two young daughters, 17 and 14, and I haven't been pleased with the economy, among other things," she said.
She voted for Question 7, to support gambling expansion. "I've been in education for 29 years … and I hope they can dump some of that money into education," she added.
Patrick Linch, another community member outside Gunpowder Elementary, was on the other side of the issues, voting to reelect President Barack Obama and opposing gambling expansion.
"I voted for President Obama because I feel he's seriously committed to addressing the issues unresolved from his first term," Linch said.
With regards to Question 7, Linch cited a television commercial featuring State Comptroller Peter Franchot.
"I thought the Peter Franchot ad was very provocative when I heard what he had to say about where the funding was going," he said.
By Tuesday afternoon, thousands more had cast their ballots throughout the community.
Joe Applegate voted at Perry Hall High School, choosing Romney as his pick for president.
"For me, it's personal because I'm a small business owner, and I feel like Romney is for business. There are other issues—we need to do something about the debt," Applegate said.
He also chose to vote in favor of gambling expansion. "I feel like the state needs the money," he said.
Perry Hall High School's poll remained busy throughout the day. By the mid-afternoon, 20 percent of the nearly 6,000 registered voters assigned to polls at the high school had already voted.
"This morning, it was going out the door. This is most I've seen steadily voting in my whole life," said Jim Ports, a former state delegate who arrived at the high school at 7 a.m. Tuesday to campaign for congressional candidate Nancy Jacobs.
Ports added that Jacobs' race against longtime incumbant Democrat Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger would be "won or lost in Baltimore County," as he predicted a win for Jacobs in Harford County and a win for Ruppersberger in Baltimore City.
Check Patch for updates.
How did you vote this Election Day? How did the lines look at your polling place? Tell us in the comments.
