Early Voting Begins in Montgomery County

When the doors opened at the Silver Spring Civic Building at 10 a.m., a line of more than 70 voters were waiting to cast their ballots.

Many of them came here to vote based on party affiliation, rather than on an individual candidate--that was true for Maryland resident Robyn Muncy.

"I voted a straight Democratic ticket...I am very anxious about the possibility of a conservative win in this election--across the country, not just in Maryland," Muncy says.

Montgomery County has voted primarily Democratic. In fact, Board of Election staff say the number of independents in this area nearly equals the number of Republicans.

It's a statistic that registered Republican Lynn Norwood wants to change. Today she's voting a straight Republican ticket, including a vote for former Gov. Bob Ehrlich for governor.

"I think he works well with the Democrats and I think that's what we need here. Our taxes have gone way up...our services have gone way down," Norwood says.

Early voting centers will be open in Silver Spring, Rockville, Burtonsville and Germantown through Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the exception of Sunday.