From polling frustrations to the race for Baltimore's next mayor, here are a few standout facts from the Maryland primary election on Tuesday.
- Baltimore City Mayor: Catherine Pugh won the Democratic nomination for mayor. Alan Walden won the Republican nomination. Pugh is expected to win the general election.
- Race for Senate: Kathy Szeliga won the Republican nomination, beating her closest opponent by nearly 90,000 votes. Chris Van Hollen was elected the Democratic nominee, beating Donna Edwards.
- Record Voting Numbers: Early voting turnout was triple the number from the previous election. According to the Washington Post, nearly 260,000 Marylanders, or 7.5 percent of eligible voters, cast ballots during the early voting period. Sandtown residents voted in historic numbers. At 7:45 Tuesday night, an election judge reported that over 800 people have voted in the district, compared to just 257 from the same location in the last election.
- Poll Frustrations: Issues at the polls caused some precincts to open 45 minutes or even an hour late in the city. As a result, four Baltimore City polling locations stayed open an hour later, until 9 p.m.
- #Stickergate: Though a small gesture, many voters look forward to receiving a sticker after they've cast their ballot. Some voters didn't receive stickers, expressing their frustrations with #stickergate on social media.
- Campaign canvass turns violent: The promise of jobs for mayoral candidate Catherine Pugh's campaign sparked violence when workers were turned away. Pugh said the incident was the result of miscommunication and that applicants would be compensated.
- Baltimore City Council: Six Baltimore City Council members were not seeking re-election for next year. Two others seeking re-election will not advance to the general election. William "Pete" Welch of District 9 lost to John T. Bullock. Bullock will compete with the Republican candidate Kenneth Earl Ebron, Jr. Warren Branch of District 12 lost to Shannon Sneed. District 12 did not have a republican candidate.
- Howard County Board of Education: Only one of three incumbent Howard County Board Members will advance to the general election. Ann De Lacy and Ellen Flynn Giles have lost their bids for re-election. Janet Siddiqui was the only sitting board member among the top six vote-getters. The other five include Kristen Combs, Vicky Curoneo, Christina Delmont-Small, Mavis Ellis and Robert Wayne Miller.
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