About 26,000 Neighbors Didn't Vote Last Time. The Decisions Got Made Anyway.

In 2022, about 26,000 District 9A voters stayed home. Taxes, schools, roads and electric rules got decided anyway. Vote for the qualifications, not the…

Through Sunday, Oct. 25, 9,024 District 9A voters had cast a ballot: 4,859 by mail and 4,165 at early voting centers. That is about one in eight of the roughly 71,000 voters registered in our part of Howard and Montgomery counties, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Early voting turnout here is running about 48% ahead of the same four days in 2022. That is a good start. But look at where we finished last time. In 2022, about 26,000 of the district's 63,000 eligible voters didn't cast a ballot. The two delegates who represent us won with about 17,500 votes each. If this year looks like 2022, about 26,000 of us will sit it out again. Maybe you're tired of the fighting between the parties. Maybe you feel no one on the ballot speaks for you. But staying home doesn't keep politics out of your life. It just means someone else decides for you. What gets decided whether you vote or not Your taxes. The state budget is $70.8 billion this year, and the legislature writes the tax laws that fund it. Whether you can afford to stay. The homeowners' property tax credit cuts off at $60,000 in income. This year, three bills to raise that limit, filed by members of both parties, died without a committee vote. Your children's schools. The legislature sets the state aid formulas for Howard and Montgomery schools. Both counties already pay about two thirds of their school costs themselves; the state average is under half. The roads you drive every day. The local share of state gas tax and vehicle revenue is scheduled to drop from 20% to 15.6% in fiscal 2028 unless the legislature acts. Your electric bill. The legislature writes the rules BGE and Potomac Edison operate under. Delegates serve four years. Whoever wins on Nov. 3 will vote on four state budgets. Vote for the…