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A Political Victory So Very Personal
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About 70 people gathered for an election-eve vigil at Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Capitol Heights.
"We are here to acknowledge that God is in charge of this," said Donna Dean, wife of County Council Chairman Samuel H. Dean (D-Mitchellville).
They sang hymns such as "Blessed Assurance" and old Negro spirituals, including "We've Come this Far by Faith." And they prayed.
"Father, we thank you for the power of prayer," the Rev. Sylvia Bell said. "As we cast our votes, we know you have already decided the outcome. Be glorified in this process. We come against any plan the enemy may have."
When the votes were counted a day later, Kenneth Battle, who has worked on Democratic campaigns most of his life, said Obama's historic victory was "icing on the cake" for him, a staunch Democrat and an African American man.
"I can wake up in the morning and feel like this country is finally living up to all of those lofty words written in the Constitution," he said.
Like their counterparts across the country, voters in Prince George's stood in lines that wrapped around their polling places. Some waited for hours.
Gerard Gonzaludo of Bowie said he was unaware of the disorder that was unfolding as he stood in line to vote at Mount Oak Church in Mitchellville. Poll workers there were dealing with malfunctioning voting machines and the large number of people who came to vote. By mid-afternoon, the county Board of Elections had to send out more equipment and staff to help check in voters.
"It was like Beltway traffic: Something happens, then the next thing you know, there's a backup," said Gonzaludo, who said he waited four hours to vote. "In this case, it was people."
Other polling places also experienced backups. Three of six voting machines were working at the Towers of Westchester Park apartment building in College Park on Election Day morning, said voter Mike Fekula, who arrived just before 7 a.m. and didn't leave until after 9 a.m.
"The wait made me more determined to vote," he said. "That's what I came there for."
Fekula said he voted for Obama and to change the state constitution to allow early voting in Maryland.
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