Voter Turnout Around 62% in Prince George's County

Voter turnout in Prince George's County broke 60 percent in Tuesday's general election but was down significantly from four years ago, according to unofficial figures released by the county's board of elections.

With 231 of 234 precincts reporting, returns showed that 354,663 votes had been cast in Prince George's—equal to just over 62 percent of the county's 568,600 registered voters. That tally does not include absentee or provisional ballots, which are set be tabulated by mid-November.

In the 2008 general election, a total of 378,103 votes were cast by a pool of 497,421 registered voters in the county—good for 76 pecent turnout, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

The decline echoes state and national participation figures, which were down broadly from four years ago.

In Maryland, unofficial totals showed a statewide turnout of about 69 percent, excluding absentee and provisional ballots. In 2008, that figure was just over 77 percent.

Curtis Gans, director of American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate, projected that about 126 million votes had been cast nationwide, representing approximately 57.5 percent of eligible voters. That's down from about 62 to 63 percent in 2008, depending on which estimate is used.

Lower turnout didn't always translate to shorter lines, however, with waits climbing as high as five hours at some local polling places. Several election officials said that disruptions in early voting due to Hurricane Sandy may have driven up Election Day turnout.

Find approximate in-person turnout figures for Upper Marlboro-area precincts in Prince George's County. (Note: these tallies are lower than real turnout, as they do not include provisional, absentee, or early voting ballots. For more information, see the county's precinct-by-precinct breakdown.)

• Union United Methodist Church
• Patuxent Elementary School
• St. Mary of the Assumption School
• Perrywood Elementary School
• Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High
• First Baptist Church of Glenarden
• St. Thomas' Parish Hall

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