Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Maryland local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- 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.
2019 →
← 2017
|
 Trial court elections |
Poll opening and closing times |
Maryland held general elections for circuit court judges on November 6, 2018. A primary election took place on June 26, 2018. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in these elections was February 27, 2018.[1][2]
In Maryland, local judicial candidates run in partisan primary elections, where each candidate files for both the Democratic and Republican primaries. In the general election, however, candidates run with no party affiliation listed on the ballot. Vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointments, so elections are only held when incumbent judges are up for election. For this reason, there are no open races.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2018, Ballotpedia covered the following local election in this state:
- Baltimore, Maryland - State's attorney, clerk of the circuit court, register of wills, sheriff, and orphans' court
If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the link for more information about the election. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2018. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.
For more information about the 2018 appellate court elections in the state, click here.
Election dates
- February 27, 2018: Filing deadline for candidates
- June 26, 2018: Primary election
- November 6, 2018: General election
Election rules
Primary election
Circuit and orphans' court judges compete in a partisan primary for the Republican and/or Democratic nomination. Candidates cross-file with both parties. The candidates who receive the most votes from each primary advance to the general election to compete against each other, as well as any minor party or independent candidates.[3][4]
An example of the elections process for the circuit courts is provided by the Maryland State Board of Elections:
| “ |
|
” |
| —Maryland State Board of Elections[4] | ||
General election
Trial court judge candidates who advanced from the partisan primary run in the general election without party affiliation.[6]
Judicial selection method
- See also: Assisted appointment
The 152 judges of the eight Maryland circuits are chosen by the governor with help from a nominating commission. The judges of this court do not need to be confirmed by the Maryland State Senate.[7][8]
Circuit judges serve for one year, after which they must run in nonpartisan elections if they wish to continue serving.[9] If re-elected, they serve for 15 years.[7][8]
The chief judge of each circuit court is chosen by seniority.[7]
Qualifications
To join either of these courts, a judge must be:[7]
- a U.S. and state citizen;
- a registered state voter;
- a state resident for at least five years;
- a circuit resident for at least six months;
- a state bar member;
- at least 30 years old; and
- under the age of 70 (retirement at 70 is mandatory).
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.[10]
See also
| Local courts | Maryland | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Election Dates," accessed September 26, 2017
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2018 Gubernatorial Election Calendar," accessed September 26, 2017
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Judicial Candidates," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "2012 Elections - Circuit Court, Judicial Candidates," accessed June 17, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Maryland Election Law, "§ 9-210. Arrangement of ballots — Candidates and offices," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maryland," archived October 27, 2010
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Maryland; Overview," archived October 26, 2010
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Judicial Elections," accessed January 19, 2015
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Maryland," accessed June 22, 2017
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Maryland • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Maryland
State courts:
Maryland Supreme Court • Appellate Court of Maryland • Maryland District Courts • Maryland Circuit Courts • Maryland Orphans' Court
State resources:
Courts in Maryland • Maryland judicial elections • Judicial selection in Maryland
| |||||||||||
