Update: Eight Percent of District Has Voted

Update, 7 p.m.: As of 6 p.m., 5,298 District 6 residents have voted for a new County Council member, representing just eight percent of the 69,065 registered voters, Daneen Banks said. The polls will close at 8 p.m. Results will be posted later tonight.

Update, 4:15 p.m.: As of 3 p.m., 3,535 District 6 residents have voted, said Daneen Banks, deputy administrator of the Prince George’s County Board of Elections. That represents six percent of the 69,065 eligible voters across the district. The voting numbers will be updated at 6 p.m., Banks said.

Original post: Driving down Largo Road this morning, one could see purple and white signs along the roadway, urging voters to hit the polls and elect new leadership.

"Focus On The Future: 9-20-11: VOTE," the sign read.

That message appeared in vain Tuesday morning, as polling places in Upper Marlboro and Largo saw very little turnout from District 6 voters.

Today is the special election to replace , who resigned two months ago after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. Widespread interest has been low to this point, as registered voters have shown little interest in the special election, according to a Washington Post report, which mentions how only a few residents have attended the local debates.

At about 10 a.m., the rains were steady in the region, and voters could be seen huddled under umbrellas as they walked into the polling places. Others without umbrellas moved quickly through the rains to get back to their vehicles.

"It's been light," said the chief election judge at the Kettering/Largo Community Center. "It's been very slow.”

During a brief interview, the judge told Patch that the second round of election results would be posted at 3 p.m., and the last round at 6 p.m.

In Bowie, there was a light but at times steady stream of voters who turned out in south Bowie this morning for the County Council District 6 special primary election.

For the first two hours the polls at Jennings Mill Drive were open, a voter entered to vote every several minutes, with only an occasional line inside of several people.

“We expected a light turnout, and that’s we've gotten so far,” said Ann Young, chief Democrat election judge at the sole poll in Bowie. She predicted that voting would pick up again at lunchtime and in the late afternoon to early evening.

As for Bowie voters, they weren’t angry, just determined to fill the seat with quality representation.

“We need someone who will do us justice,” said Orlando Walker Sr. “It’s time to forget money and power. We say we’re the richest black county in the nation, but what has that done for us? Look at what it’s gotten us.”

There are 14 Democrats and one Republican running in the primary. The names that seemed to be on the lips of voters the most Tuesday morning were Democrats Derrick Leon Davis and Arthur Turner.

Johnny and Terry Williams said they voted for Davis because they wanted someone with integrity. They had met Davis a number of times, and said they were impressed by his “sincerity.”

“We need someone who will put the needs of all us first, not the just the needs of a few people,” said Johnny Williams.

Donna Fletcher agreed.

“Derrick Davis brings the freshness of young ideas,” she said. “We need a young breath of fresh air.”

Evelyn Gillian said that Turner came across to her as someone who is very involved with the community. “He is out there,’’ she said. “You hear about him quite often. You can tell he is involved and that he cares. I think he will help my voice be heard.” 

Daneen Banks, deputy administrator of the Prince George’s County Board of Elections, said that as of 11 a.m., unofficially 101 people had voted at the Jennings Mill Drive location. That's roughly a five percent turnout of 2,275 eligible voters in the South Bowie precinct.

Across all of District 6, about 3 percent of the eligible 69,065 voters had unofficially voted, Banks said, meaning 1,872 people voted.

The will remain open until 8 p.m. . Patch will update this report as information arrives.