— CUMBERLAND — With a slap of her right hand to her left breast pocket, Patty Wilson secured her “I voted” sticker after casting her primary election ballot.

“Well, it’s done,” said the Cresaptown resident and one of the first Allegany County residents to take advantage of early voting.

Wilson said the process was “very convenient” and took only a few minutes on Friday at the County Office Complex on Kelly Road, Allegany County’s designated early voting center. Nearly half a dozen people stood in line before the 10 a.m. start time. The first hour passed smoothly with hardly a wait for an available booth in which to vote.

In 2008, Maryland voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to allow early voting. Lawmakers passed legislation in 2009 that established policies and requirements for the process. This primary election is the first time early voting has been possible in Maryland.

 Except for Sunday, early voting centers will remain open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Thursday. Diane Loibel, Allegany County Board of Elections administrator, said she and the seven election judges arrived at their regular time. Set-up had gone by the book and smoothly, she said.

Ken and Sue Winters of Cumberland were the first two to sign in and cast a ballot on the electronic pollbooks. Ken Winters is a candidate for the Allegany County Republican Central Committee. However, there are 11 spots available and only 11 candidates so Winters’s position on the committee is all but guaranteed.

Winters said he was a registered Independent in 2008 and did not vote in the primary. He also said he voted against early voting, having concerns about tampering and cost to taxpayers. That, however, didn’t stop him from casting his ballot on Friday.

“It’s available,” Winters said, “why not use it?”

Sue Winters said she could see how the convenience of early voting could attract new voters.

Janet Renni of Midland made the journey to Cumberland. Her experience at the early voting center helped her conclude that early voting is “a wonderful thing.”

“It’s good for people who are going to be out of town,” she said.

Things were going smoothly at Garrett County’s early voting center at the Oakland Community Center.

Steven Fratz, elections director, said his primary concern had been connecting to the state’s wireless voter registration database.

He was told it could take up to 30 minutes, but “within three to four minutes, I was up and running,” Fratz said.

Fratz said he was impressed by the voter turnout on the first day.

“It surprised me,” he said.

Harold Bender of Frostburg said early voting “makes it so much easier” so senior residents like him can vote around medical appointments, inclement weather or other obligations. Bender said he was particularly interested in the race for Allegany County sheriff, a position for which three Republican candidates each hope to fill.

Benny Smith of Cresaptown also was interested in the race for sheriff. Smith said it was clear it was “time for a change” for current politics, bickering and fighting with the county commissioners.

“Everything’s been just so out of hand,” Smith said.

“I knew who I wanted to vote for already,” Wilson said about choosing to vote early.

Others, however, weren’t yet ready to cast a ballot. It was by coincidence that Tammy Shockey chose Friday to turn in her request for an absentee ballot. Shockey said she knows she won’t be available to vote on Sept. 14 because she works the Westernport Elementary School polling place. But early voting wasn’t the answer for her, she said.

“I need to educate myself a lot more” on the candidates for office and their positions, Shockey said. “It’s not easy to be educated on where people stand.”

Shockey said candidates often tell people what they want to hear in order to get their vote. She’d rather take the time to determine a candidate’s true position before selecting that name on the ballot. Voters must request an absentee ballot for the primary election by 8 p.m. on Tuesday if delivered in person or before midnight if the request is sent by e-mail or fax.

Kevin Spradlin can be reached at kspradlin@times-news.com.