Seven questions on our mind as primary polls prepare to open – Maryland Matters

Major day is lastly right here.

And nonetheless, no person is aware of precisely who’s voting — or after we’ll lastly know the official consequence of all of the races. Listed here are a number of questions we’ll be pondering as we look ahead to the outcomes to roll in:

What’s going to voter turnout seem like?

We’ve had fixed reminders, with a dysfunctional Congress and numerous consequential selections rolling out of the U.S. Supreme Court docket, of how vital state authorities is. So why does it really feel like no person has been being attentive to this election, with current polls displaying excessive numbers of undecided voters? Who’s truly voting? When and by what means are they voting?

With President Trump out of the White Home, will voter turnout return to its desultory mid-term norms? Why are so many individuals a lot much less keen about state and native elections than they look like about presidential contests? And has Maryland’s election system, with all of the choices for voters, clouded issues?

How Trump-y are Maryland Republicans, actually?

Polls have proven that an awesome variety of Maryland Republicans assume fondly of the previous president. However will that sentiment present itself on the polls? A number of Republican leaders are preaching pragmatism: Vote for the conservative with the most effective likelihood of profitable a common election, somewhat than the purest or Trumpiest.

The gubernatorial major, between Trump-aligned Del. Dan Cox (R-Frederick) and Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s alternative, former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, will reveal so much about Republican voters’ wishes (many Maryland Republicans, to be honest, like each Trump and Hogan). So will the GOP major for legal professional common (former Anne Arundel County Councilmember Michael Peroutka is the Trumpers’ alternative), the first for Anne Arundel County govt (watch former Del. Herb McMillan), the Harford County govt major (state Sen. Robert Cassilly is the Trumpier candidate), and the state Senate GOP major within the thirty seventh District on the Jap Shore, the place Del. Johnny Mautz is difficult Sen. Adelaide Eckardt from the fitting.

What’s the standing of the O’Malley model and the O’Malley machine?

Katie Curran O’Malley’s bid for legal professional common has introduced the band again collectively to an incredible diploma, and former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) is reveling within the “function reversal.” However is the O’Malley model a web optimistic in Democratic primaries today?

Curran O’Malley is dealing with off within the Democratic major towards Rep. Anthony Brown (D), who was as soon as Martin O’Malley’s lieutenant governor.

Lots of O’Malley’s closest confidantes are serving as casual advisers to Wes Moore’s gubernatorial marketing campaign. There are parallels between Martin O’Malley’s political abilities and Moore’s. However are the methods that labored in 2006 and 2010 related right now? We’ll discover out the solutions to each questions quickly.

Which social gathering can be extra divided after the first outcomes are available in?

Who would have predicted a number of months in the past that Maryland Republicans may emerge from the first extra broke and divided than the always-fractious Democrats? However that’s very more likely to be the case. Are you able to think about Dan Cox endorsing Kelly Schulz — or vice-versa? Are you able to think about one GOP candidate’s supporters rallying behind the opposite’s?

Some Democratic leaders could have a tough time swallowing Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) as their nominee for governor, and there are positive to be some bruised emotions irrespective of who wins the first. However a lot of the rank-and-file voters will fall in line behind their nominee.

Will the builders have their means in county races?

Actual property pursuits are flexing their muscular tissues and throwing some huge cash round in county races in Montgomery, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties, simply to call a number of — aided and abetted in some instances by the editorial board of The Washington Submit, whose editorials in some instances may virtually be considered as in-kind contributions. Let’s see what their cash should buy.

Which candidates will play spoilers?

With so many shut races, each vote counts, which suggests contenders in multi-candidate fields, even when they get only a few proportion factors, can be main elements. Who will we be speaking about as true spoilers after the mud clears? We have now a number of concepts, however we’ll let the voters have their say. Concentrate particularly to Rushern Baker’s complete within the Democratic gubernatorial major. The previous Prince George’s County govt has suspended his marketing campaign, however he’s nonetheless on the prime of the poll and is as well-known as nearly anybody operating for workplace this yr.

When will outcomes be finalized?

Lord solely is aware of. Maryland is the one state this election yr that particularly prohibits processing mail-in ballots earlier than the polls shut on Election Day. Thirty-three states enable counting of mail-in ballots on or earlier than Election Day.

Elections officers have expressed concern about Maryland’s reporting timeline this yr, given the potential quantity of mail ballots, which take longer to course of.

Greater than 10 occasions as many mail-in ballots have been requested this yr in comparison with 2018, the final time the present guidelines have been used for counting mailed ballots.

Almost 500,000 mail-in ballots have been requested, and greater than 190,000 had been returned by Sunday — a quantity so excessive it certainly may shift outcomes after election night time.