Voters Say They Are Determined, Not Angry, in Special County Council primary

It 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. The polls are open until 8 p.m.

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 is an approximately 5 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 seat is vacant following former with conspiracy to commit witness and evidence tampering.

Voters Tuesday morning generally said they weren’t angry. Instead, determination was the spirit expressed by South Bowie residents—a determination to quickly fill the seat with improved, quality representation.

Orlando Walker Sr. said it was past time to find someone new.

“We need someone who will do us justice,” said Walker. “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.”