By Steve Crane | Editor-in-chief
“I think we’re looking at the top of the numbers, but I think we’re looking at some real turnout better than we’ve seen in quite a few elections. It also looks like voter turnout has skyrocketed across the country as well, so that tells us that voters are really paying attention and are super engaged in what’s happening.” - Nikki Tyree, executive director of Maryland’s League of Women Voters, on early voting turnout.
Happy Halloween! Early voting turnout is approaching record levels this year, Republicans are raising a fuss in Frederick and Question 3 continues to puzzle voters. And when you set your clocks back tonight, it likely won’t be the last time you’ll have to make the daylight saving switch.
Despite the lack of a high-profile race, Maryland voters turned out in large numbers for early voting, mirroring national trends, with the very real possibility that more than a million votes will have been cast before Election Day. William J. Ford has that story, as well as a report on his talks with voters as they puzzle through Question 3.
The unexpectedly spicy race for Frederick County Executive got a little spicier this week when Republicans charged an independent PAC supporting Democratic Executive Jessica Fitzwater may not be so independent after all, a charge the campaign denies. Bryan P. Sears has that story. And David Lightman reports that, despite a bill to change it, daylight saving time will likely be with us for a while and we’ll continue changing the clocks twice a year.
One thing that is like clockwork is the support of our readers, whose donations let us do what we do. Readers like Shirley B. of Baltimore, Katy B. of Leonardtown, Rachel S. of Bowie, Barbara S. from Severna Park, Mary A. of Salisbury, Sharon S. of Cambridge, Deborah H. of Laurel, Sara W. from Annapolis and Susan F. and Jacqueline E., both from Baltimore. Thanks for your support. If you’d like to kick in a Halloween treat for Maryland Matters take a trip to our donate page — it’ll take less time than it takes to eat a fun-size Snickers, we promise.
In the meantime, check out those stories and others below, along with a roundup of headlines from the past week. And don’t forget to fill out our election contest while you’re waiting for trick-or-treaters to show up. It’s free and you might score some treats at the end. Enjoy!
Dozens of Prince George's County voters stand in line and cast their ballots on the last day of early voting Thursday inside Upper Marlboro Community Center. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
By William J. Ford
Record numbers of voters in a gubernatorial election year turned out for early voting over the last week, with early voting and mail-in ballots likely to top 1 million before Election Day, according to the latest data from the Maryland State Board of Elections.
A total of 604,396 voters cast ballots in person during the eight days of early voting that started Oct. 22 and ended Thursday, with a record-breaking 124,189 on the final day. Additionally, local election officials had received 357,650 mail-in ballots as of Thursday, with nearly 300,000 more that had been mailed out but had yet to be returned. By comparison, a total of 1.5 million people voted in Maryland's last gubernatorial election, in 2022, and most of them turned out on Election Day.
State Elections Administrator Jared DeMarnis said in a social media post Friday that more than 124,000 voters cast ballots Thursday, which represented “a record breaking last day of early voting” in a gubernatorial election year.
Frederick County Republicans are asking state election officials to investigate a high-profile Maryland political fundraiser who they say violated state laws barring coordination between a super PAC and a candidate. (File photo by Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters)
By Bryan P. Sears
Frederick Republicans say a high-profile Maryland political fundraiser violated state laws barring coordination between candidates and a super PAC.
The complaint, filed this week with the state Board of Elections by the Frederick County Republican Party, alleges that Baltimore-based consultant Sophia Silbergeld was paid last fall to work on a fundraising effort for Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, a Democrat. Silbergeld now serves as treasurer of United Frederick, a political action committee that had spent nearly $500,000 as of Friday on mailings and online advertising attacking Jeff Holtzinger, Fitzwater's Republican opponent for county executive. That constitutes an illegal coordination of campaigns, the Republicans charge.
Silbergeld is president of Baltimore-based Adeo Advocacy's political division and said Fitzwater "is not a client," but declined to speak about the complaint. In a statement, the Fitzwater campaign said Adeo Advocacy was hired "to manage a standalone event" roughly nine months before the formation of United Frederick. It said Adeo had no access to "proprietary information," and has not worked for Fitzwater since
A clock stands in front of the former train depot in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, on March 6, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
By David Lightman
Most of the nation returns to standard time Sunday morning, and Congress could decide as early as next month whether it will be the last time people have to change their clocks.
President Donald Trump wants year-round daylight saving time. The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly in July for the change. Lots of Democrats and Republicans are behind the idea. Yet, any momentum has stalled. The legislation can’t get out of the U.S. Senate, and it looks unlikely there’ll be much progress anytime soon.
Senators are due to return to Washington from a lengthy recess on Nov. 9, and a push for year-round daylight saving time is expected. But it faces strong opposition from senators in rural areas and those who represent states where children could be walking to school in darkness for most of the winter.
IN OTHER NEWS
Questions on Question 3: At early voting centers this week, several voters admitted they were having trouble understanding the language of Question 3, a constitutional amendment on congressional redistricting. Opponents say that may be by design.
National turnout surges: As of early Friday, more than 46 million Americans had cast ballots ahead of Election Day, eclipsing the early voting turnout of 2022 midterms, when 45.9 million Americans voted early, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
Maryland gets another warning: Maryland election officials were among those who got another Justice Department letter warning they could face criminal prosecution for failing to preserve ballots, voter-registration records and other election materials.
Ramblin’ Raskin: Rep. Jamie Raskin is campaigning a lot — in Texas. Ohio, Michigan and other battlegrounds. With a relatively safe seat, Raskin has been on the road to help other Democrats, drawing barbs from his GOP challenger but praise from constituents.
MATTERS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Campaigning for comptroller: GOP comptroller nominee Sonya Dunn acknowledges she's got her work cut out for her in her bid to unseat Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D); but both women have ideas for how to improve the office over four years.
ICE in Elkridge: After Howard County officials lost the first round of a court fight to block a proposed immigration facility in Elkridge, state lawmakers Thursday unveiled a bill to let the county instead set special, higher property taxes on any such property.
Schools get good grades: Half of the state’s slightly more than 1,300 public schools earned four or five stars out of five on the state's annual report card of individual school performance, an increase from last year's total, according to data released Thursday.
A Senate shakeup: Sen. Antonio Hayes, a two-term Democrat from Baltimore City, will become the first Black lawmaker to chair the Senate Finance Committee, one of a series of changes that will make Senate leadership younger and less Montgomery County-centric.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Thanks for reading Maryland Matters Memo. Did you know our daily morning newsletter is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.