Montgomery County Voters' Guide Expanded Edition
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Montgomery County Voters’ Guide Expanded Edition 2018 Primary Election About this Voters' Guide The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County has published a Voters’ Guide for many years to assist citizens in their decision-making process as they prepare to vote. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidate or political party. This guide contains the candidates’ responses to ALL of the questions on issues asked by the League, for ALL offices on the 2018 Primary Election ballot. The information was downloaded directly from Vote411.org exactly as entered by the candidate, without any changes. This same information is available in an interactive online format at Vote411.org. This guide is offered as a supplement to the Voters’ Guide that was printed as a tabloid newspaper and is available in Montgomery County Public Libraries and other locations throughout the county. That guide was also mailed to newly registered voters who registered through December 2017. Because of the large number of offices on the ballot and the number of candidates running in the primary election (total of 333 for statewide, federal, and county offices), it was necessary to abbreviate the information in the print version in order to keep it to a manageable, readable, and affordable length. The following guidelines were used for the print edition: • If a candidate had no Primary opposition, we printed only the candidate’s name, political party, and campaign website and directed the reader to Vote411.org and to our website lwvmocomd.org to read the candidate’s responses to our questions. • If a candidate had Primary opposition, we printed the responses to a few questions and directed the reader to Vote411.org and our website lwvmocomd.org to read the candidate’s responses to the remaining questions. • For candidates running for a Party position (Republican or Democratic Central Committee), we printed a listing of all candidates by party and directed the reader to Vote411.org and our website lwvmocomd.org to read the candidate’s responses to the questions posed. For the 2018 primary election, we offer four ways to obtain information about the offices and candidates: 1. Online, interactive guide - vote411.org. Enter your address to find information about the candidates who will be on your ballot and to print your own ballot choices. 2. Printed easy to read Voters’ Guide – available as a tabloid newspaper in county libraries and other locations and as a viewable/printable PDF on our website lwvmocomd.org. 3. Voters’ Guide Expanded Edition containing all candidate responses for every office – available as a viewable/printable PDF on our website lwvmocomd.org . 4. Guía de Votantes – Descriptive information from our Voters’ Guide translated into Spanish about Primary Election procedures, the offices on the ballot and questions asked of the candidates (but not the responses) -- available as a viewable/printable PDF on our website lwvmocomd.org. Check other sources above for the English language candidate responses. LWV does not change or translate candidate responses. Offices and candidates in this Voters’ Guide Expanded Edition are listed in the same order in which they will appear on your ballot. Maryland law does not allow write-in candidates for the Primary Election. Table of Contents Why Vote? About the Primary Election ------------------------------------------Page 3 Am I Registered? Do I Need to Update My Registration?-------------------Page 4 Three Ways to Vote ----------------------------------------------------------------------Page 5 Offices on the Ballot and Candidate Responses MARYLAND STATEWIDE OFFICES Governor/Lieutenant Governor ------------------------------------------------------Page 6 Comptroller ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 14 Attorney General --------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 16 UNITED STATES CONGRESS U.S. Senator -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 18 U. S. Representative in Congress Congressional District 3 -------------------------------------------------------------- Page 32 Congressional District 6 -------------------------------------------------------------- Page 36 Congressional District 8 -------------------------------------------------------------- Page 46 MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY State Senator and House of Delegates District 14 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 51 District 15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 58 District 16 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 71 District 17 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 81 District 18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 88 District 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 99 District 20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 108 District 39 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 115 MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICES Montgomery County Executive ------------------------------------------------------ Page 124 Montgomery County Council At Large ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 133 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2 League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, MD lwvmocomd.org -- For candidate photos, updates, election information and personalized ballots, visit VOTE411.org. -- District 1------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 166 District 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 175 District 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 178 District 4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 180 District 5 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 182 Judge of the Circuit Court – 6th Circuit -------------------------------------------- Page 185 State’s Attorney --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 189 Clerk of the Circuit Court --------------------------------------------------------------- Page 190 Register of Wills --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 192 Sheriff ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 193 POLITICAL PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEES Republican Central Committee ---------------------------------------------------- Page 195 Democratic Central Committee ---------------------------------------------------- Page 207 BOARD OF EDUCATION At Large ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 230 District 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 239 Support the Voters’ Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ Page 242 Why Vote? Your vote makes a difference! It’s about.... Community: how to balance priorities such as health, housing, and parks Education: how to strengthen the quality, performance, and safety of the schools Environment: how to protect natural resources and ecosystems Money: how your taxes are spent Transportation: how to balance the needs of drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and walkers About the Primary Election The Primary Election takes place on June 26 and the General Election is on November 6, 2018. The Democratic and Republican political parties are required by Maryland law to choose their candidates for the General Election in party primary elections. Unaffiliated, Green, and Libertarian party voters may vote only for the nonpartisan Board of Education offices in the statewide Primary Election. In 2018, you must be registered as a Democrat or Republican by the June 5 deadline to vote for that party’s candidates in the Primary Election. You cannot change your party affiliation after June 5. There is one exception: If you have not registered to vote in Maryland by June 5, you may register for the first time in Montgomery county, declare a party affiliation, and vote the same day at Early Voting. To vote in the Primary Election in June, you must be 18 years old on or before the November 6, 2018 General Election. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, MD lwvmocomd.org -- For candidate photos, updates, election information and personalized ballots, visit VOTE411.org. -- Get Ready to Vote You can learn about the issues and candidates’ positions from the League’s printed and on-line Voters’ Guides at www.lwvmocomd.org, at www.vote411.org, and from candidate forums, websites and social media. Use that information to choose for whom you want to vote and to mark your Official Sample Ballot sent to all registered voters by the Board of Elections. The Sample Ballot lists all the candidates who will be on your ballot. It also gives the name and address of your polling place if you vote on Primary Election Day, Tuesday, June 26, 2018. You do not need to vote on everything. You can choose to vote for the candidates