Let’s Vote And Keep Anne Arundel On The Map

April 8 marked the conclusion of the 446th session of the Maryland General Assembly and normally I would take this opportunity to talk about our successes, our challenges, our response to the Key Bridge collapse and our transition to the interim, and I will talk about all those things in the coming weeks, but I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to talk about the primaries.

In 2020, we had to pivot in conducting the census and the elections amid a once-in-a-generation pandemic. We were creative and resilient, and I posed a challenge to our district and our county to make sure we were counted in the census. The result of that challenge? District 33 had the highest response rate in Anne Arundel County, and Anne Arundel County had one of the highest response rates in the state, which also translated to our ability to bring more resources home to our county.

Why do I bring this up now? We have an important primary on May 14, with early voting May 2-9 and vote-by-mail already underway, which is not yet on the radar for many voters as we are used to June primaries (or July following redistricting). What does this have to do with the 2020 census? We count by being counted.

In January, the Maryland State Board of Elections released a preliminary report on new polling sites, new drop box locations, and new early voting locations. One of the most significant changes is that Severna Park Library, previously the primary early voting location for Broadneck and Severna Park, was moved to the Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company. Logistically this change made a lot of sense as they have more space, more parking and easier access, but as we know, for those on the peninsula and the southern end of Route 2, Earleigh Heights feels like the other side of the county. Working with the Board of Elections, my colleagues in the Anne Arundel delegation, the county executive, and several of our local organizations, we successfully secured an additional early voting location at the Broadneck Library, and we turned to the census and the subsequent voter turnout to demonstrate why it was necessary.

Additionally, we have a real possibility of sending an Anne Arundel local to Congress, but we must show up in the primary if we want our county to be taken seriously. Finally, our entire school board is up for election with Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5 having primaries. As these are nonpartisan races, independents and unaffiliates can vote in the primary and could be the determining factor in which candidates go to the general election. If you, like me, would like to see open primaries, we have to demonstrate that we’ll show up, and this is our opportunity to make that case.

However you choose to vote - vote by mail, early voting or Election Day - make a plan to vote and let’s rise to the challenge once again and keep Anne Arundel on the map by showing that we show up!

If you have questions about the elections, your candidates or your polling location, contact the Maryland State Board of Elections at www.elections.maryland.gov.