Jam-Packed 2014 Election Season Gets Underway

Legislative Redistricting Will Bring Changes For Anne Arundel Voters

Though a late-season win streak couldn’t secure a playoff run for the Ravens and the Redskins came in second in the country – second worst, that is - locals shouldn’t despair over the end of football season, as a new season kicked off with the new year: the 2014 election season. In total, over two dozen seats are up for grabs in Anne Arundel County in November, including 15 in the House of Delegates, five in the Senate, all seven County Council positions and the Office of County Executive.

Residents in all five legislative districts within Anne Arundel County will be able to cast their votes for three delegates and one senator, and for some, unfamiliar incumbent names will appear on ballots as redistricting takes effect. Based on changes in population recorded in the 2010 census, Maryland adopted new congressional and legislative districts in 2011 and 2012, respectively, stretching and shrinking the borders of the state’s eight congressional and 47 legislative districts. In Anne Arundel County, subdistricts were drawn in two of the county’s five electoral districts to reflect the area’s growth.

On the other hand, District 33 – which includes Severna Park, Crofton, Crownsville and other central parts of the county - is no longer bifurcated into precincts 33A and 33B, but has been expanded eastward to encompass most of Arnold as well as Cape Saint Claire. Both areas were formerly represented by officials from District 30, which is now split into Districts A and B and includes the Annapolis area and southern portions of Anne Arundel County.

Parts of West County including Davidsonville have been apportioned to the expanded District 33, while Odenton is now bisected by Telegraph Road into Districts 21 and 32. Additionally, Gambrills is now split between Districts 21 and 33. In Pasadena, District 31 was re-drawn into precincts A and B; 31A encompasses Glen Burnie and Brooklyn Park and will be represented by one delegate, while the Pasadena peninsula constitutes 31B and will occupy two seats in the House.

Five members of the two-term-limited County Council are eligible to retain their seats, with the exceptions of Councilmen Jamie Benoit and Daryl Jones, who were first elected in 2006. County Executive Laura Neuman will vie for her first full term in office alongside contenders including Joanna Conti, who ran for the position in 2010 but was defeated by incumbent John Leopold, and Delegate Steve Schuh.

On the state level, Martin O’Malley’s lease on the Governor’s Mansion will expire in January 2015, and already at least a half-dozen candidates have lined up to be the Annapolis landmark’s next tenant. Additionally, political hopefuls are polishing their resumes in pursuit of the offices of comptroller and attorney general as well as Maryland’s eight Congressional seats in Washington, D.C.

Throughout the upcoming months, the Voice will provide comprehensive coverage of every aspect of county and state races pertinent to its readers, from informative pieces on who is running for each and every local seat to in-depth analysis of where they stand on important issues. Readers will be kept abreast of registration information and deadlines, polling places and important dates as the primary and general elections approach, followed ultimately by a breakdown of voting trends and outcomes. For timely election updates and additional information, be sure to watch the Voice blog at www.pasadenavoice.com/blog.