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Maryland Attorney General election, 2018 (June 26 Democratic primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16
- Early voting: Oct. 25 - Nov. 1
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Only during early voting period
- Voter ID: No ID required generally
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
2022 →
← 2014
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| Maryland Attorney General |
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 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 27, 2018 |
| Primary: June 26, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): Brian Frosh (Democrat) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Maryland |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| Maryland executive elections |
| Governor |
A Democratic Party primary election took place on June 26, 2018, in Maryland to determine which candidate would run as the party's nominee in the state's November 6, 2018, attorney general election.
For more information about attorney general elections in 2018, click here.
| SETTING THE STAGE | |
Candidates and election results
Incumbent Brian Frosh advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Maryland on June 26, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Maryland
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brian Frosh | 100.0 | 505,897 |
| Total votes: 505,897 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Context of the 2018 election
Past elections
2014
- See also: Maryland attorney general election, 2014
Brian Frosh defeated Jon Cardin and Aisha Braveboy by a 19.3 percent margin in the 2014 Democratic primary.[1]
| Maryland Attorney General, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Brian Frosh |
49.6% | 228,360 | ||
| Jon Cardin | 30.3% | 139,582 | ||
| Aisha Braveboy | 20.1% | 92,664 | ||
| Total Votes | 460,606 | |||
| Election results via Maryland State Board of Elections. | ||||
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Maryland law stipulates that political parties can determine for themselves who may participate in their primary elections. As of October 2025, both the Democratic and Republican parties operated a closed primary where only a voter affiliated with the party may vote in a party's primary.[2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Maryland, all polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[3]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, to register to vote in Maryland, one must be a United States citizen and Maryland resident who is at least 16 years old. Although a 16-year-old can register to vote, they cannot vote in an election unless they will be 18 at the time of the next general election (i.e., 17-year-olds are permitted to vote in primary elections, so long as they'll be 18 by the time of the corresponding general election).[4]
Maryland allows same-day voter registration during the early voting period and on Election Day.[4]
Voters may register online, by mail, or in person at one of the following locations:[4]
- Local board of elections
- The State Board of Elections
- Local Department of Health office
- Maryland Department of Human Services local offices
- Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) offices
- Local Area Agency on Aging offices
- MTA Paratransit Certification Office
- All public institutions of higher education
- Recruitment offices of the U.S. Armed Forces
- Marriage license offices
- Offices for students with disabilities at all Maryland colleges and universities
Automatic registration
- See also: Automatic voter registration
Maryland automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Motor Vehicle Administration.[5]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Maryland has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
- See also: Same-day voter registration
Maryland allows same-day voter registration.[4]
Residency requirements
A voter registration applicant must be a resident of the state.[4]
Verification of citizenship
Mayland does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.
Several local jurisdictions in Maryland permit noncitizens to vote in at least some local elections. These jurisdictions maintain separate voter registration systems for noncitizen voters. See here for more information.
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[6] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The voter lookup page, run by the Maryland State Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Maryland does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases.[3]
The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.[7]
These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.
A voter will also be asked to show ID in these other circumstances:[8][9]
- The voter’s identity is challenged; or
- The voter registers to vote during early voting or changes his or her address during early voting.
The following list of accepted ID was current as of October 2025. Click here for the Maryland State Board of Elections' voting information page to ensure you have the most current information.
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Early voting
Maryland permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Maryland. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee/by-mail.[11]
To receive an absentee/by-mail ballot in the mail, an application must be submitted by at least seven days prior to the election, whether by mail, in-person, or by fax or email. To print an absentee/mail-in ballot at home, the application must be received by 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day.
A voter can return their ballot in person to a voting location or drop box until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. A ballot returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day.[11]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Maryland heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in Maryland.
- Democrats held seven of eight of the U.S. House seats in Maryland.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Republicans held three of 12 state executive positions, Democrats held two, and the remaining positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Maryland was Republican Larry Hogan. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly. They had a 91-50 majority in the state House and a 33-14 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Maryland was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Larry Hogan (R) served as governor, while Democrats controlled the state legislature.
2018 elections
- See also: Maryland elections, 2018
Maryland held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- Eight U.S. House seats
- Governor and lieutenant governor
- Two lower state executive positions
- 47 state Senate seats
- 141 state House seats
Demographics
| Demographic data for Maryland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 5,994,983 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 9,707 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 57.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 29.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 37.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $74,551 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 10.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maryland. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2016, Maryland's three largest cities were Baltimore (pop. est. 611,648), Columbia (pop. est. 103,439), and Germantown (pop. est. 90,494).[12][13]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Maryland from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Maryland every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Maryland 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Hillary Clinton |
60.3% |  Donald Trump |
33.9% | 26.4% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
62.0% | Mitt Romney |
35.9% | 26.1% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
61.9% | John McCain |
36.5% | 25.4% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
55.9% | George W. Bush |
42.9% | 13.0% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
56.6% | George W. Bush |
40.2% | 16.4% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Maryland from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Maryland 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Chris Van Hollen |
60.9% | Kathy Szeliga |
35.7% | 25.2% |
| 2012 | Ben Cardin |
56.0% | Dan Bongino |
26.3% | 29.7% |
| 2010 | Barbara Mikulski |
62.2% | Eric Wargotz |
35.8% | 26.4% |
| 2006 | Ben Cardin |
54.2% | Michael Steele |
44.2% | 10.0% |
| 2004 | Barbara Mikulski |
64.8% | E. J. Pipkin |
33.8% | 31.0% |
| 2000 | Paul Sarbanes |
63.2% | Paul Rappaport |
36.7% | 26.5% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Maryland.
| Election results (Governor), Maryland 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Larry Hogan |
51.0% | Anthony G. Brown |
47.2% | 3.8% |
| 2010 | Martin O'Malley |
49.5% | Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. |
41.8% | 6.7% |
| 2006 | Martin O'Malley |
52.7% | Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. |
46.2% | 6.5% |
| 2002 | Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. |
51.6% | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend |
47.7% | 3.9% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Maryland in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Maryland 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 1 |
12.5% | 7 |
87.5% | D+7 |
| 2014 | 1 |
12.5% | 7 |
87.5% | D+7 |
| 2012 | 1 |
12.5% | 7 |
87.5% | D+7 |
| 2010 | 2 |
25% | 6 |
75% | D+4 |
| 2008 | 1 |
12.5% | 7 |
87.5% | D+7 |
| 2006 | 2 |
25% | 6 |
75% | D+4 |
| 2004 | 2 |
25% | 6 |
75% | R+1 |
| 2002 | 2 |
25% | 6 |
75% | R+1 |
| 2000 | 4 |
50.0% | 4 |
50.0% | Even |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Maryland Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty-two years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
There are no Pivot Counties in Maryland. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Maryland with 60.3 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 33.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1789 and 2016, Maryland voted Democratic 52 percent of the time and Republican 21 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Maryland voted Democratic all five times.[14]
See also
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Maryland government: |
Elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Attorney General," July 16, 2014
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Md. Election Code Ann. § 8–202," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Rules and Information for Voters," accessed October 23, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Introduction," accessed October 23, 2025
- ↑ Maryland Motor Vehicle Association, "Motor Voter," accessed October 23, 2025
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Congress, "H.R.3295 - Help America Vote Act of 2002," accessed September 30, 2025
- ↑ MD Code, Election Law, "§ 10-312. Challenge of an individual's right to vote," accessed October 7, 2025
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Change of Address," accessed October 7, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Mail-in Voting: Information and Instructions," accessed October 23, 2025
- ↑ Cubit, "Maryland by Population," accessed September 4, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Maryland," accessed September 4, 2018
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Maryland," accessed June 22, 2017
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