Maryland state legislative Republican primaries, 2018

Elections in Maryland, 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.

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2018 Maryland General Assembly elections
General	November 6, 2018
Primary	June 26, 2018

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The Republican primary elections for the seats in the Maryland State Senate and Maryland House of Delegates were on June 26, 2018. For information about the Democratic primary elections in Maryland, click here.

The general election was on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was February 27, 2018. In the state Senate, all 47 seats were up for election. In the state House, all 141 seats were up for election.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of November 2017, Maryland was one of 18 states under divided government and not one of the 32 states under a state government trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. To find out more about state government trifectas, click here.

Incumbents who did not advance to the general election

Incumbents retiring

One Republican state Senate incumbent did not seek re-election.

• Linda Norman (District 35)

Nine Republican state House incumbents did not seek re-election.

• Kathy Afzali (District 4)
• David E. Vogt III (District 4)
• Pat McDonough (District 7)
• Christian Miele (District 8)
• Herb McMillan (District 30A)
• Meagan C. Simonaire (District 31B)
• Mary Beth Carozza (District 38C)
• Susan Aumann (District 42B)
• Chris West (District 42B)

Incumbents defeated

One Republican state Senate incumbent was defeated.

• Stephen Waugh (District 29)

Competitveness

See also: 2018 primary election competitiveness in state and federal government and Maryland state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

Compared to 2014 (the last time the state legislature held elections), there were 12 fewer open seats, roughly the same number of candidates running, and seven more contested Democratic primaries.

Year	Total seats	Open seats	Total candidates	Democratic primaries contested	Republican primaries contested	Total contested	Incumbents contested in primaries	Total incumbents contested in primaries
2018	188	38	520	64	26	39.5%	107	71.3%
2014	188	50	517	57	27	36.8%	92	66.7%

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland State Senate as of June 2018:

Maryland House of Delegates

Party		As of June 2018
	Democratic Party	90
	Republican Party	50
	Vacancies	1
Total		141

Maryland State Senate

Party		As of November 2025
	Democratic Party	33
	Republican Party	14
	Vacancies	0
Total		47

Battleground races

Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Maryland state legislative Republican primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Republican caucus or had an impact on general election races.

To determine the Maryland state legislative Republican primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:

1. Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
2. One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
3. The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.

Media coverage

This section provides an overview of media reactions to the Maryland state legislative Republican primaries. Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the 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.

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.

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).

Maryland allows same-day voter registration during the early voting period and on Election Day.

Voters may register online, by mail, or in person at one of the following locations:

• 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.

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.

Residency requirements

A voter registration applicant must be a resident of the state.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

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. 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.

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.

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:

• 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.

“

The voter’s driver's license number, MVA ID card number or the last four digits of the voter’s social security number, and election officals will attempt to verify this information with MVA or Social Security Administration. A copy of a current and valid photo identification (i.e., Maryland driver's license, MVA ID card, student or employee photo ID card, military ID card, passport, or any other State or federal goverment issued ID card). A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows the voter’s name and address.

”

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.

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.

See also

• Maryland state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
• Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2018
• Maryland State Senate elections, 2018
• Maryland State Legislature
• Maryland elections, 2018