'Never Seen Crowds Like This'

Voter turnout in Maryland could be stimulated by a referendum on slot machine gambling, which has galvanized voters on both sides. Maryland residents will also consider a ballot question on early voting, and some localities have additional questions that might require extra time to read and digest. In Prince George's County, for example, there are seven additional questions asking voters to approve bonds for projects including libraries, county buildings and public safety facilities.

Poll workers will distribute "specimen ballots" to voters "so that while they're waiting they can become familiar with the questions," said Daneen Banks, deputy administrator of the Prince George's Board of Elections.

The county has added 400 voting machines since the 2004 presidential election, for a total of 2,700. Maryland law requires one machine for every 200 voters, which is starkly different from the 1-to-750 ratio required in Virginia. But because Virginia holds elections more frequently, officials said, the ballots are usually shorter and require less time to cast.

An investigation into how the 2006 general election was handled in Prince George's found that two-thirds of the county's precincts did not have enough voting machines. A polling place at the University of Maryland, where some voters waited for hours, was supposed to have 12 machines but received four.

The county has a new elections administrator, Alisha L. Alexander, who has vowed that such a gaffe would not be repeated. Still, given the lengthy ballot, "we expect that lines can be as long as maybe an hour and a half," Banks said.

But long lines aren't necessarily a bad thing, said Montgomery County elections spokeswoman Marjorie Roher.

"That means there's a lot of interest in the election, and that's a good thing," she said.

Advice from the Prince William registrar: Wear comfortable shoes, be patient and pretend you're "waiting in line for the new Wii" video game system.

Staff writers Tim Craig, Kristen Mack and Lisa Rein contributed to this report; staff writer Anita Kumar reported from Richmond.