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Maryland House of Delegates District 3
Maryland House of Delegates District 3 is represented by Kris Fair (D), Ken Kerr (D), and Karen Simpson (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Maryland state representatives represented an average of 43,867 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 41,063 residents.
About the office
Members of the Maryland House of Delegates serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Maryland legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January after the election.[1]
Qualifications
Section 9 of Article 3 of the Maryland Constitution states, "A person is eligible to serve as a Senator or Delegate, who on the date of the person's election, (1) is a citizen of the State of Maryland, (2) has resided therein for at least one year next preceding that date, and (3) if the district that the person has been chosen to represent has been established for at least six months prior to the date of the person's election, has resided in that district for six months next preceding that date and, beginning January 1, 2024, has maintained a primary place of abode in that district for six months next preceding that date.
If the district that the person has been chosen to represent has been established less than six months prior to the date of the person's election, then in addition to (1) and (2) above, the person shall have resided in the district for as long as it has been established and, beginning January 1, 2024, shall have maintained a primary place of abode in the district for as long as it has been established.
A person is eligible to serve as a Senator, if the person has attained the age of twenty-five years, or as a Delegate, if the person has attained the age of twenty-one years, on the date of the person's election."[2]
Section 12 of Article I of the Maryland Constitution states, [A] person is ineligible to enter upon the duties of, or to continue to serve in, an elective office created by or pursuant to the provisions of this Constitution if the person was not a registered voter in this State on the date of the person's election or appointment to that term or if, at any time thereafter and prior to completion of the term, the person ceases to be a registered voter."[2]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $54,437/year | $115/day for lodging. $63/day for meals. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Maryland General Assembly, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement.[4]
The governor makes an appointment based on the recommendations of the political party committee that holds the vacant seat. The political party committee has up to 30 days after the vacancy to submit a list of recommended candidates to the governor. If the party committee fails to act by the 30-day deadline, or if the former officeholder was not affiliated with any party, the governor has 15 days to appoint a person from the political party that last held the seat.[5]
The person appointed to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[6]
See sources: Maryland Const. Art. 3, Sec. 13
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
Maryland adopted legislative maps on January 27, 2022, when the Maryland House of Delegates approved new legislative district boundaries that had been approved on January 20, 2022, by the Maryland State Senate. The vote in the state Senate was 32-14 and in the House of Delegates was 95-42, both strictly along party lines.[7][8][9][10]Since legislative maps are not subject to gubernatorial veto, the maps were therefore enacted.
How does redistricting in Maryland work? In Maryland, the primary authority to adopt both congressional and state legislative district lines rests with the state legislature. The governor submits a state legislative redistricting proposal (an advisory commission appointed by the governor assists in drafting this proposal). The state legislature may pass its own plan by joint resolution, which is not subject to gubernatorial veto. If the legislature fails to approve its own plan, the governor's plan takes effect. Congressional lines are adopted solely by the legislature and may be vetoed by the governor.[11]
The Maryland Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous, compact, and "give 'due regard' for political boundaries and natural features." No such requirements apply to congressional districts.[11]
Maryland House of Delegates District 3
starting January 11, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
General election
General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 3 (3 seats)
Incumbent Ken Kerr, Karen Simpson, and Kris Fair defeated Kathy Diener and Justin Wages in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ken Kerr (D) | 24.9 | 26,270 |
| ✔ |  | Karen Simpson (D) | 24.6 | 25,945 |
| ✔ |  | Kris Fair (D)  | 24.3 | 25,602 |
| Kathy Diener (R) | 13.0 | 13,699 | ||
 | Justin Wages (R) | 12.8 | 13,535 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 429 | ||
| Total votes: 105,480 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 3 (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 3 on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ken Kerr | 19.8 | 5,628 |
| ✔ | | Kris Fair | 19.7 | 5,598 |
| ✔ | | Karen Simpson | 15.6 | 4,450 |
 | Josh Bokee | 12.7 | 3,618 | |
| Tarolyn Thrasher | 12.3 | 3,489 | ||
| William Reid | 11.6 | 3,295 | ||
 | Stephen Slater | 8.3 | 2,364 | |
| Total votes: 28,442 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 3 (3 seats)
Justin Wages and Kathy Diener advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 3 on July 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Justin Wages | 50.5 | 3,893 |
| ✔ | Kathy Diener | 49.5 | 3,818 | |
| Total votes: 7,711 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Distel (R)
- Tim Cansler (R)
Campaign contributions
From 2022 to 2022, candidates for Maryland House of Delegates District 3 raised a total of $287,268. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $31,919 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Maryland House of Delegates District 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $287,268 | 9 | $31,919 |
| Total | $287,268 | 9 | $31,919 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Maryland Constitution, "Article III, Section 6," accessed February 11, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maryland Constitution, "Article III, Section 9," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Maryland State Archives, "Maryland Constitution," accessed February 11, 2021 (Article III, Section 13, Subsection (a)(1))
- ↑ Maryland State Archives, "Maryland Constitution," accessed February 11, 2021 (Article III, Section 13, Subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2))
- ↑ Maryland State Archives, "Maryland Constitution," accessed February 11, 2021 (Article III, Section 13, Subsection (a)(4))
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Maryland state lawmakers give final OK to new district maps; lawsuit likely," January 27, 2022
- ↑ Maryland General Assembly, "Legislative Districting Plan of 2022," accessed March 15, 2022
- ↑ Maryland General Assembly, "Senate of Maryland 2022 Regular Session - SJ 2," accessed March 16, 2022
- ↑ Maryland General Assembly, "General Assembly of Maryland 2022 Regular Session - SJ 2," accessed March 16, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 All About Redistricting, 'Maryland," accessed April 30, 2015
