Today is primary election day in Maryland. The polls are open through 8pm. You can find the location of your polling place here.
Today is primary election day in Maryland. The polls are open from through 8pm. At stake in today's election are Democratic and Republican nominations for governor, attorney general, U.S. House of Representatives, all the seats in the General Assembly and various local offices. Maryland has a closed primary, meaning only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party's primary.
You can find the location of your polling place here. If you go to the wrong polling place, you will be able to cast a provisional ballot – but it won’t include all the races in which you’d otherwise be able to vote.
When you head to the polls, remember that: you're allowed to bring any printed material you want to the polls - including marked specimen ballots. You're also permitted to wear clothing with campaign slogans – but if you do, you'll need to leave the polling place immediately after you vote. But you’ll have to turn your smartphone off when you go into the voting booth. More answers to frequently asked questions about voting can be found here.
Watchers are predicting relatively low turnout – in part, because the primary’s taking place earlier than it used to. The Baltimore Sun reports that the last time Maryland held a primary in June was in 1954. Turnout is generally at its lightest between 10am and 2pm… but if turnout is as low as some are expecting, you may not have to wait in line long whenever you head to the polls.
Baltimore TV stations are thanking the election season for an inflated bottom line. The Baltimore Business Journal reports that the city's four network affiliates have raked in a combined $5-million in ad revenue from the governor's race alone. Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown doled out the most for TV ads among the Democratic gubernatorial candidates while Larry Hogan outspent his opponents on the GOP side.
Strike At Hopkins Likely: it looks like another strike at Johns Hopkins Hospital later this week. Some 2-thousand service maintenance workers represented by 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East are set to begin a four-day strike on Friday. This after contract talks have again apparently broken down. The union is asking for a four year deal that ensures all workers make at least $14 an hour by the end of the contract. Hopkins’ latest offer would have all hospital workers making at least $12.25 an hour at the end of the contract – and the union turned that deal down. Union officials tell the Baltimore Sun that Hospital officials have told them they do not plan to make a counteroffer before the strike begins. If it does begin as expected on Friday, it would be the second strike at the Hospital this year.
Frederick County's Budget: The Frederick County Commissioners are expected to adopt the County’s operating budget today. The $525.7-million spending plan would offer salary increases to county workers and cut the property tax rate. If adopted, it would be the largest budget ever for Frederick County. The Frederick News Post notes that the spending plan taps into the reserve fund to stay in balance.
Baltimore Summer Restaurant Week: Baltimore's summer version of Restaurant Week is returning again this year. Various three-course dinners at participating restaurants will go for a fixed price of $20 or $30, or two-course lunches for $15. Restaurant week actually runs for ten days, August 1st through the 10th.
Baltimore Baseball: The Orioles won last night’s game against the Chicago White Sox, beating them 6 to 4. The O’s look for a repeat performance when the two teams play again tonight; first pitch is set for 7:05pm at Camden Yards.
Washington Baseball: The Washington Nationals won last night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers; the score there: 3 to 0.