What’s up with the MoCo primary?
How to get ready for June 23—even if you aren’t a registered Democrat.
Lots going on with budget still: the Board of Education votes on the final MCPS budget tomorrow, there’s a new MCPS proposal out just yesterday, and the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Excellence and Equity is asking why the teachers’ union won’t come to the table. I noticed the new proposal keeps the $4 million for retirement “incentives”—the ones they’ve asked teachers to sign up for before the Board budget vote—while cutting critical student support services. I also noticed the following in yesterday’s MCPS proposal.
And yet, I just got my (second) mail-in ballot, and early voting begins June 11. It’s time to talk about voting.
The 2026 election cycle is a big one in Montgomery County politics: the County Executive and all County Council seats are on the ballot, along with more than half the school board seats. Many of these races have crowded fields without incumbents, and the June primaries narrow those fields.
It’s a big ballot. A registered Democrat at my address would have 18 races, a registered Republican 14, and any other voter, only two. Those two are for school board.
Who can vote for whom?
Vote411.org is the League of Women Voters’ non-partisan one-stop shop for election information. If you enter your home address, choose a language, and select a party, it will show you all the primary races you are eligible to vote in. You don’t need to know what district you live in (handy, because the County Council districts and Board of Education districts have different boundaries and numbers), or the rules in the table below.
Why should I bother figuring out who to vote for?
These offices are important. The MCPS Board of Education hires and fires the superintendent, sets policy, and approves the MCPS budget. The County Executive and County Council govern the entire county, and while they can’t directly control MCPS policy or personnel, they do have power over the MCPS and county budgets—oh, and your taxes and property values.
Sometimes every vote actually matters. Marc Elrich, the current County Executive who is term-limited this year, retained his seat in the 2022 Democratic primary by just 32 votes. That race has three front-runners this time around, and it’s anything but settled.
How can I learn more about the candidates?
Vote411.org provides campaign websites, social media accounts, and candidate responses to a few questions. They ask each candidate to answer the same set of questions, including candidate qualifications, and policy questions on housing, budget, safety net, and public safety. The responses to each of these are a few sentences. Anyone on the ballot for any race has the opportunity to provide their information here.
Montgomery Perspective has its own candidate questionnaires posted for at-large County Council, districted County Council, and County Executive, but not for Board of Education. While the League of Women Voters asks each candidate what they would do around specific policy areas, this questionnaire asks each candidate to describe “three things you would like to accomplish.” Together, the two formats provide a more complete picture of candidate positions and priorities. Montgomery Perspective also has candidate biographies that are longer than the League of Women Voters guide. And this gets into the weeds on how the County Executive front-runners have voted as council members.
For County Executive, the I Hate Politics Podcast has interviews with front-runners (alphabetically) Friedson, Glass, and Jawando.
A Google search like “Candidate Name MCPS” still works well. Even if the race isn’t Board of Education, many candidates have voting or advocacy records that show up. (Also: why I don’t bother with the teachers’ union endorsements on the Apple Ballot.)
If I really care about education, do I need to research all the races or just the Board?
Sorry. You need to research the County Council, County Executive, and Board of Education, because they all matter. (See who does what for more.)
Why does MoCo have closed primaries?
That is, why can you only vote in the primary of the party with which you’re registered? 59 percent of MoCo voters are registered Democrats, so that primary is all but certain to deliver the winner of the general election. With three front-runners splitting the vote in this close race, just over one in five county voters could end up choosing the County Executive.
As with many things, MoCo law is the way it is because of Maryland law. And the Maryland law has been resistant to change. Governor Wes Moore recently said on HBO that closed primaries have run their course, but his office quickly walked it back.
Why doesn’t MoCo have ranked choice voting?
I’ve heard Ralph Nader’s name more in the past month than the past few years. People are talking about what can go wrong with plurality voting (what we have, one vote per voter, candidate with most votes wins) with three major candidates. Ranked choice voting can reduce this risk. Our neighbors in DC voted in 2024 to adopt ranked choice voting and are about to have their first primary with it. But again, Montgomery County voters can’t make that choice for themselves, because of Maryland state law.
Why does MoCo have public financing?
Here’s something encouraging democratic participation–the public financing option. The County adopted this after a state law permitted counties to do so. The voter guides above don’t include whether candidates are using it, but this does.
Pop quiz
In the 2022 Democratic primary, incumbent Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich defended his office by a margin of:
a. 2 percent of votes cast
b. 0.2 percent of votes cast
c. 0.02 percent of votes cast
d. 0.002 percent of votes cast
Answer key
c. Elrich received 55,504 of the 145,762 votes cast by Democrats in the 2022 primary, and runner-up David Blair received 55,472. That means Elrich won the primary by 32 votes, or 0.02 percent of votes cast. 36 percent of Democrats voted in that primary, with a hotly contested gubernatorial race and a term-limited outgoing Republican governor.
Extra credit
Replace one hour of doomscrolling with active research on local candidates. Okay, half an hour!
Think about those 32 votes when you make your voting plan.
Source and more voting info: https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/vote2026/
Volunteer for a candidate you support in this home stretch, especially at the polls on Election Day. If you’re torn about which of your preferred candidates most needs your help, it’s whoever isn’t on the Apple Ballot.
Exit ticket
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