POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- People in the south end of Worcester County face a significant journey of approximately 45 minutes to Ocean City, the sole early voting location in the county. It is why County Commissioner Caryn Abbott is advocating for a change.
Residents in Pocomoke City express their enthusiasm for the prospect of a more conveniently located early voting center. Jessmin Duryea, a Pocomoke resident, highlights the importance of convenience.
"It would be a good opportunity for everyone that likes to do early voting, and, in today's day and age, convenience is the best thing to have and it encourages people to vote," said Duryea.
The current early voting center location in Ocean City, though compliant with state law mandating that at least one center must be within 8 miles of a county's most populated area, is perceived by Commissioner Abbott as a potential barrier to voter turnout in the southern region of the county.
"I do worry about a low voter turnout from the south end of the county," expresses Commissioner Abbott.
Nancy Selby of Pocomoke echoes this concern, noting the recent shift of the early voting center from Gull Creek in Berlin to Ocean City.
"There is the south end of the county that needs to be addressed with something like this," Selby asserts.
While the idea of establishing a second early voting location has been contemplated before by the County Commissioners, the estimated cost of just over $100,000 has been a point of discussion. That cost would be to fund the additional staff and equipment needed for a second location.
Despite the financial considerations, residents in Pocomoke view it as a worthwhile investment in bolstering accessibility to the voting process.
"I think Worcester County is a huge county, and to have so many different cities located in that county, to have one on the other side would be a lot more beneficial," said Duryea.
