MARYLAND’s CLOSED PRIMARIES MEAN A MILLION CAN’T VOTE THEN: Maryland’s closed primary election system allows only voters registered as Democrats or Republicans to participate in primary elections. More than 1 million Maryland voters — about one-quarter of the electorate — are registered as independents or with third parties, leaving them unable to vote in many of the primaries that effectively decide who holds office.Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND MUST REISSUE 400,000 MAIL BALLOTS: Maryland will have to reissue roughly 400,000 mail ballots after voters reported receiving ballots for the wrong party. The state started sending mail ballots this week ahead of the June 23 gubernatorial primary to those who had requested them. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
ELECTION REFORMS BILLS THAT PASSED THIS SESSION: The Maryland General Assembly passed an array of election reforms this year to try and curb election interference and increase voter access ahead of the General Election this November. State Sens. Cheryl Kagan and Katie Fry Hester are behind a majority of the changes that were signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
MARYLAND SHERIFFS PULLING OUT OF ICE AGREEMENTS: Maryland sheriffs vowed to fight legislation passed this year prohibiting formal agreements between local police agencies and federal immigration officials, and giving sheriff’s departments 90 days to get out of any deal they were in. But as the 90-day clock expires Monday, it turns out that at least seven of the nine counties that had the so-called 287(g) agreements with ICE have pulled out of those plans and an eighth said the agreement will not be enforced, even though it’s still on the books. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE’s MILITARY SERVICE QUESTIONED: In an April 2014 interview with the USO’s magazine?”On Patrol,” Gov. Wes Moore was asked about his duties in Afghanistan. “I was an infantry officer, military police officer and then became special ops when I joined the 82nd Airborne Division,” Moore said. Based on Army records, his answer was not true. Drew Sullins/The Baltimore Sun.
PSC DELAYS POLICY TO FORCE COST OF GAS LINE EXTENSIONS ON NEW CUSTOMERS: The Maryland Public Service Commission is delaying a policy that would make new gas customers pay the full cost of pipeline extensions to their properties, a proposal that had enraged natural gas companies. The about-face on a policy that was set last summer is among the first major decisions by the commission’s new chairman, Kumar Barve, and it caught climate groups and consumer advocates by surprise. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
ATTY GEN BROWN SUES TRUMP ON AVERAGE OF ONCE PER WEEK: Attorney General Anthony Brown first sued Donald Trump on Jan. 21, 2025, the day after he was inaugurated to his second White House term, over the president’s attempt to ban birthright citizenship. As the State of Maryland’s attorney, he has sued Trump and his administration on average once a week, not including the legal briefs or cases where he joined other states. That’s 62 times, so far. Nationwide, more than 650 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration. Jean Marbella/The Baltimore Sun.
PENSION BOARD SEEKS PUBLIC TRUSTEES: The Board of Trustees for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) is seeking two trustees, one each from Montgomery County and Prince George’s County. Public Trustees serve a three-year term, from July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029. The Board holds fiduciary oversight of the ERS for the sole benefit of members and beneficiaries. County residents interested in serving must submit a statement of qualifications and resume, by 5:00 p.m. on May 27, 2026 to [email protected]. For more information, contact [email protected] or (301) 454-1415 or visit us at ers.mncppc.org.
McCLAIN DELANEY ICE VOTE BECOMES FODDER FOR TRONE: The Sixth Congressional District will be a flashpoint on immigration for Democratic voters, as former U.S. Rep. David Trone is seeking to unseat the person who replaced him, incumbent April McClain Delaney, in the June 23rd primary. A warehouse being renovated by ICE in Washington County, in the 6th, that could turn the district into a multi-state hub for immigration enforcement operations. Trone says McClain Delaney is partly responsible since she voted for a bill that is part of the Trump administration’s nationwide push toward immigration infrastructure. Nathanael Miller/WYPR-FM.
ANTI-ELRICH SUPER PAC NOW GOES AFTER JAWANDO: The Affordable Maryland political action committee — a so-called “super PAC” formed in 2022 to oppose the re-election of County Executive Marc Elrich — is back. On Wednesday it reported spending nearly $232,000 for TV ads opposing the candidacy of Will Jawando, currently an at-large County Council member who has the endorsement of the term-limited Elrich (D) to be the next county executive. Louis Peck/Bethesda Today.
COMMENTARY: BA CO COUNCIL PENSION BILL: TOO LITTLE TOO LATE: Baltimore County Council Bill 63-26, a last ditch effort to stop Councilman Wade Kach from cashing in on the Great County Council Pension Grab of 2024, is an exercise in closing the barn door after the horse is gone. The council is making a spectacle of itself as it seeks political redemption for its members by attempting to prevent Kach from taking advantage of an opportunity for an egregious, undeserved windfall that the council itself knowingly created. David Plymyer/Baltimore Brew.
BALTIMORE CO EXEC CANDIDATES DEBATE: Democratic candidates for Baltimore County executive debated student safety, strengthening the inspector general’s office and affordability at a town hall Friday. While the five candidates — Baltimore County Council members Julian Jones, Izzy Patoka and Pat Young, attorney Nick Stewart, and Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks outreach officer Mansoor Shams — found some common ground, the hourlong debate also highlighted the differing approaches each would take if elected. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
AUDITORS FIND PROBLEMS IN PG FUNDED NONPROFIT RUN BY SHERIFF PIO: A Prince George’s County employee who also ran a children’s nonprofit collected tens of thousands of dollars in county grants, depositing some of the funds into a personal bank account and others into her private wedding business — all while serving as the public face of the county sheriff’s office, according to a recent audit. Ben Conarck/The Baltimore Banner.
PG COUNTY EXEC MOVES TO OUST PLANNING CHAIR BARNES: Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy on Friday moved to oust planning board Chair Darryl Barnes, whom she appointed last summer. The move came one day after three planning board members removed the vice chair from his leadership position and just hours after The Banner published a story detailing misconduct allegations against Barnes dating to his appointment in July. Jack Hogan/The Baltimore Banner.
ARCHDIOCESE SUBMITS PLAN TO ADDRESS CHILD SEX ABUSE CASES: The Archdiocese of Baltimore on Friday submitted a 175-page bankruptcy reorganization plan that would establish how hundreds of child sexual abuse claims are handled going forward. The church is seeking to channel all settled abuse litigation into a controlled trust system while protecting church entities and insurers from future lawsuits. The proposal still needs to be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Banner.
B’MORE CONVENTION CENTER UPGRADES TAGGED AT $1 BILLION: Architects sketched plans for a $400 million expansion of the convention center in Raleigh, N.C. Houston is in the early stages of a $2 billion project that will create the biggest ballroom in Texas. Welcome to the great American convention center arms race. The price of admission? About $1 billion. That rough estimate came from a 22-person task force of state and local leaders that wants to modernize the Baltimore Convention Center. Giacomo Bologna/The Baltimore Banner.
