Early voting turnout surges in Maryland primary election

(AP) – The Maryland State Board of Elections is reporting a surge in early voting turnout in the state’s presidential primary election.

The agency says nearly 258,000 people, or about 7.5 percent of eligible voters, cast ballots during the eight-day early voting period that ended Thursday. Primary election day is next Tuesday.
    
The turnout figure compares with an early voter turnout of 4.2 percent in the 2014 primary, and 2.4 percent in 2012, when there were just six days of early voting.
    
Spokeswoman Donna Duncan says the board hopes the numbers indicate people are becoming more familiar with the early voting process.
    
The board says Democrats had an early voter turnout of 9.1 percent compared with 6.7 percent of eligible Republican voters.