By Adam Pagnucco.
Montgomery County’s Democratic Party has decided to oppose the term limits charter amendment and has included its position on its sample ballot. This is a win for County Executive Marc Elrich, but how big of a win is it?
First, county Democrats have long constructed a sample ballot to send to party members at election time. The sample ballot typically promotes Democrats for every partisan office and often includes positions on ballot questions adopted by the county party. This year’s sample ballot is shown below.
See the box in the bottom left corner of page 2? That’s where the county Dems recommend voting against term limits. It’s small, but it’s there.
So how much does this help Elrich? That depends on whether voters see the sample ballot, and that’s the issue: it takes money to mail it out. Right now, the county Dems are seeking money to finance a mailing. The screenshot below comes from their mass email announcing the sample ballot.
I asked MCDCC Chair Saman Qadeer Ahmad this question: “Can you tell me whether the party intends to mail the sample ballot to voters?” As of this writing, she has not responded.
The bottom line is if the county party gets enough money for a mailer – and, at minimum, that will cost tens of thousands of dollars – Elrich will benefit. If not, he won’t get much out of it.
So keep an eye on your mailboxes, folks. And if the sample ballot shows up, well… it may not be alone.