Md. Voting Hours Extended in Bad Weather

Politics, Government, Current Events, General

Maryland election officials got a judge to give voters an extra 90 minutes to get to the polls Tuesday after icy weather created traffic gridlock in parts of the state.The polls were scheduled to close at 8 p.m., but hours were extended to 9:30 p.m.

Voter turnout had been expected to be high in Maryland’s Democratic primary between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, but the inclement weather made elections officials question whether the turnout would remain high.

Accidents were reported along busy U.S. 50 and Interstate 97 in central Maryland, said state elections chief Linda Lamone.

“It’s gridlock,” Lamone said after receiving court approval shortly after 7 p.m. to keep the polls open. “I mean, people can’t get anywhere, especially in the central part of the state.”

Ballots cast during the extended 90 minutes will be provisional ballots, as required by federal law. That means people will vote on paper and the ballots will be put in an envelope and reviewed after the election.

The provisional ballots won’t be counted until Tuesday, said Ross Goldstein, deputy administrator of the state elections board. “As long as the order is not overturned, those votes will count.”

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell extended Tuesday’s deadline for political candidates to qualify for the state’s April 22 primary, citing weather concerns, but the major statewide candidates had already filed their paperwork.

The National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning Tuesday evening for the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area, saying it expected accumulation of as much as a quarter of an inch.

Temperatures were expected to remain below freezing until early Wednesday, and precipitation was forecast to continue through the day, according to meteorologist Luis Rosa.

[via AP]

Bill Jefferson @ February 12, 2008