Harford voters go to the polls in 2022 primary election

Nov. 8—Today is the gubernatorial general election in Maryland and polling locations across the state opened at 7 a.m. Harford County residents have their final opportunity to pick their parties' nominees for state and congressional seats. In addition to state offices, voters in Harford County will be selecting a new county executive, and electing four county council members and six school board members.

"It's just my democratic duty to make sure I vote, and have my voice heard to represent not only myself but my children too," said Jenna Zimmerman, an 48-year-old Havre de Grace resident who said she is independent in her political affiliation.

For Zimmerman, having elected officials who are representative of all people, including minorities, and protecting women's rights were motivating factors in her selection of candidates.

"I feel like some candidates don't have everyone's best interest at heart, so I vote for people who want to represent all," Zimmerman said. "I feel like a women's body is her domain, so she should have total autonomy over it."

Some voters who arrived to the Abingdon Elementary School polling place shortly after it opened said that residents should fight to change what they believe is going wrong with the government.

"These people make decisions for all of us, so why not have a say in who we pick," Cierra Akers, a 30-year-old, stay-at-home mom from Abingdon who said she voted for Wes Moore for governor.

Other voters like Jim Quinn of Abingdon said they are voting to stop what they believe is the downward spiral of society while maintaining what is great about the local government. Quinn, an attorney, said he voted for Dan Cox for governor.

"I don't like where we are right now," Quinn, 44, said. "It's not about a single issue. The entire government and political arena right now is such a mess, and it's been that way since 2020."

Among the voters arriving at the polls early was Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, Republican candidate for Maryland comptroller, and his wife, Debi. Both voted at the Level Volunteer Fire Company in Havre de Grace, where he was a volunteer firefighter as a teen.

"It's good to be back home," Glassman said. "I grew up right here in Level Village. I began public service as a volunteer firefighter right here."

While at the site, Glassman reflected on what he did while in office, and what the future county executive will have to face going forward.

"I have had quite journey in my 30 years of public service," Glassman said. "I think it is time to do something different. "

During his tenure as county executive, his administration tripled the county's surplus fund despite the pandemic, Glassman said.

"When we came into office, we had an $8 million surplus," Glassman said "When we are leaving and closing out the books, we got a $35 million surplus, so I think we did an fantastic job with the county budget and growing the local economy."

Although Glassman feels that he left the next county executive in a good position to succeed, he sees a recession coming, but as previous county executives did for him, Glassman is willing to help the next county executive privately if asked.

"I think clearly we are about to go into a recession," Glassman said. "I think there could be some economic challenges for the county in the coming months."

In addition to visiting Level Volunteer Fire Company, Glassman will be visiting polling locations throughout the day. In some of his last words as county executive, Glassman said he hopes that everyone can complete their civic duty during Election Day.

"I think the number one duty of being a great citizen is actually coming out to vote and making your voice count," Glassman said. "It's really a basic thing you can do in America."

Maryland Policy & Politics

The Maryland Board of Elections reports that in Harford County, there are 189,160 people registered to vote as of Oct. 22. The breakdown by party affiliation includes: 65,127 Democrats, 80,005 Republicans, 238 Green Party, 1,182 Libertarians, 202 members of the Working Class Party, 1,628 people listed as "other" and 40,778 categorized as "unaffiliated."

Find your polling place at https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/PollingPlaceSearch.

Mail-in ballots may also be brought to a polling site, where they will be placed in secure election bags, or dropped off at a ballot drop box, up until polls close at 8 p.m.

Drop-box locations in the county include: Board of Elections office, 133 Industry Lane, Forest Hill; Aberdeen Senior Center, 7 Franklin Street; Edgewood Recreation Center, 1980 Brookside Drive; Havre de Grace Senior Center, 351 Lewis Lane; Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Company, 3825 Federal Hill Road; McFaul Activity Center, 525 W. MacPhail Road, Bel Air.

Of the 22,199 mail-in ballots sent out to Harford voters for the general election, 15,362 have been returned as of Sunday, the state elections board reported, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by 53%.

The state elections board also reported that 22,510 Harford County voters took advantage of early voting, which ended last Thursday.

This story will be updated.

[ More: 2022 Maryland election results ]