By KIT SLACK
November 5 is election day! Look up your polling place here. So, what’s on the ballot besides Kamala Harris v. Donald Trump?
U.S. Senate race
Voters across the state will decide whether County Executive Angela Alsobrooks or former Gov. Larry Hogan will represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate. The winner will replace U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring, and join U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, whose term ends in 2026. See Maryland Matters voter guide on this senate race. Alsobrooks had a 14-point lead over Hogan in recent polling, according to The Hill. The outcome of this race could help determine which party has a majority in the U.S. Senate.
Prince George’s County judges for Maryland Circuit Court:
Voters may select four of the five judges listed on the ballot. Darren Sebastian Johnson, Stenise LaNez Rolle, Cheri Nicole Simpkins and Donnell Wilfred Turner are sitting judges selected through a complex vetting process controlled by the Maryland governor. Michael Sheehan is a challenger. Read more about them in our judge’s election guide.
Husband and wife who will be hard to beat:
- U.S. House of Representatives, District 4: Incumbent Glenn Ivey, a Democrat, is running against Republican challenger George McDermott. Ivey is expected to win. District 4, much of which overlaps with Prince George’s County, is one of the most partisan Democratic districts in the United States, according to the Cook Political Report. Glenn Ivey is married to Jolene Ivey.
- County Council at large: Jolene Ivey, a Democrat who is chair of the county council, is also expected to win in her race in a special election. That will leave open her District 5 county council seat because she will become a countywide representative. Voters will choose between her and Republican Michael Riker.
Yes-or-no questions:
- State constitutional amendment: Question 1 on the ballot would amend the Maryland Constitution to protect individual reproductive freedom, including “decisions to prevent, continue or end the individual’s pregnancy.” Maryland Matters covered broad support for the amendment and controversy over its implications.
- Judges: Maryland residents will be asked to vote yes or no on several judges to the Appellate Court of Maryland who seek to remain in office. See our judge’s election guide for more.
- Charter amendment: County residents can vote yes or no on amending the county charter to prevent county agencies from hiring more staff than approved in the annual operating budget, without specific Council approval. This will give county agencies more staffing flexibility, as the current charter restricts changes in agency staffing levels by grade. A county charter review commission recommended the change.
- Prince George’s County bond issuances: The county is asking voters to approve bond issuances that would allow the government to borrow more than $600 million for construction projects related to county facilities, detailed in a recent analysis by the Greenbelt News Review. The county asked for $500 million in 2020. According to a 2018 analysis by the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University, ballot measures like these are required in Baltimore, Baltimore County and Prince George’s County, and generally pass. They are not required in other local jurisdictions in the state.
