A Letter from Larry Helminiak, SCBA Government Relations Chair

June 2018

June 26th is the date we get to vote in the primary election. Early voting starts June 14th, at Westminster and the South Carroll Swim Club. The General Election is November 6th. So many people I talk to say they never vote in primaries. What would you say if I were to tell you that, in some jurisdictions, when the primary is over, the General Election is over?

There are some jurisdictions that are so overwhelmingly one party that the opposing party has virtually no chance. Carroll County and Baltimore City are two such Jurisdictions. 1996 was the last time I remember a Democrat being elected in Carroll County to a county office. Theodore R. McKeldin was the last Republican elected in Baltimore City and that was a half century ago.

So many people, especially young people, register as “unaffiliated.” Did you know that, as such, you can’t vote in the Democrat or Republican primaries?

Here are some facts about Carroll County: In 2014, 25.82% of registered voters voted in the primary, compared to 57.34% in the general election. This means that your vote counts more in the Primary than it does in the General election.

My advice to all new voters is this . . . . First – register as either a Democrat or Republican so that you can vote in the Primaries. Second, be sure to vote in the Primary because that is when the eventual winner is traditionally chosen in Carroll County.