Election Guide: Maryland 2012

As we look ahead to November’s elections, Rockville Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you need about every race in town. Here's our start on the candidates and issues we'll be covering as November draws near. Bookmark this page for updates.

President Barack Obama: Maryland is a reliably Democratic state for presidential candidates. Obama held as well as campaigned in Baltimore with Gov. Martin O'Malley. He for a basketball game in November 2011.

GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor . Remember the Etch A Sketch comment? That came on the day . In explaining how the candidate will avoid being pushed too far to the right on the issues during the primaries to capture wide appeal for November's general election spokesperson Eric Fehrnstrom, in a CNN interview, likened Romney's positions to an Etch A Sketch. "You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again,” he said. Political opponents wasted no time in capitalizing on the misstep. Nonetheless, Romney .

U.S. Senate:
Sen. Ben Cardin: The incumbent Democrat is seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate. He has shared many of his views in .

Daniel Bongino: Cardin's Republican opponent is Daniel Bongino of Severna Park. He is a former Secret Service agent.

3rd District:
Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat, is seeking a fourth term in Maryland’s 3rd congressional district. If re-elected, the Towson resident will represent parts of Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties as well as parts of Baltimore City in the newly reconfigured district. Sarbanes made headlines in May when he announced that would come from small donors. In 2010, he was re-elected with 61 percent of the district’s vote.

Eric Knowles - No one is predicting a close race in Maryland's Congressional 3rd District, but if someone is going to upset Democratic incumbent Rep. John Sarbanes, it's the Republican Knowles. The son of a former Green Beret and police officer, Knowles calls himself a strict constitutionalist who says the nation's economic problems can be solved if the government prints less money.

6th District:
In his run for an 11th term, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett must now consider Montgomery County because of the new boundaries for the 6th District. A Frederick County resident, Bartlett with 43.8 percent of the primary vote. Bartlett, whose background is in science and business, was listed as (58th out of 435 members of the House of Representative). Get to know the Bartlett on his official website.

Democrat John Delaney hopes to bring and ideas for job creation to Congress. As a successful businessman, the Potomac resident believes to lowering the deficit and unemployment rate for Maryland and the United States.

8th District:
Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D), a longtime Kensington resident and ranking member on the House Budget Committee, touts health care, education, the environment, and open government among his top issues.

Kenneth Timmerman, a Republican, is a long-time resident of Kensington with his wife Christina and has five children in Maryland public schools and universities. Timmerman writes about on defense and intelligence issues and has testified as an expert witness in terrorism trials in U.S. federal courts and before Congress. He was head of the Maryland Taxpayers Association and worked on the Divest Terror movement to prevent Maryland pension funds from being invested in companies doing business with terrorists.

Montgomery County Board of Education:

At large:

Phil Kauffman – A member of the Board of Education since 2008, Kauffman is seeking to be re-elected to his at-large seat. He works as deputy assistant general council of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He believes that “public education is the single greatest investment our community can make,” according to his website. His goals include moving the school system forward and greater support for educators. Kauffman won 60.3 percent of the at-large vote in April’s primary election.

His priorities are:

• Ensure our public schools remain among the best in the country by continuing to improve
• Produce graduates with essential 21st Century skills
• Provide students with opportunities to participate in athletics, arts, and extracurricular activities
• Give educators the support they need to inspire and engage students
• Provide fiscal accountability

For more information about Kauffman, visit his campaign website.

Morris Panner – Endorsed by The Washington Post’s editorial board, Panner is the CEO of a healthcare information technology company and the father of four elementary-aged children. He believes that Montgomery County should not take its success for granted— innovation and improvement are needed. Panner won 17 percent of the at-large vote in April’s primary election.

The Washington Post said, “Mr. Panner recognizes that current benefit programs are unsustainable, and he is thoughtful and forthright about the need to revisit how teachers are compensated in ways that recognize the reality of today’s career paths.” 

His priorities are:

• Fund education responsibly and sustainably: Our County is threatened with unprecedented budget challenges. We must make education a priority and do it responsibly.
• Attract and retain the highest quality educators: Great teachers make great schools.  We need to continue to attract the best and make sure we allow them to innovate and lead.
• Strengthen local schools:  Local schools make great communities. We must ensure every child gets a superior education.
• Strive for excellence: We face the most competitive global economy in history. Our children need tools to succeed.
• For more information about Panner, visit his campaign website.

District 2:

Fred Evans – Evans is a 30-year veteran of Montgomery County Public Schools, serving as a social studies teacher, staff training specialist, assistant principal and principal at the middle school and high school levels. He currently is a professor of educational leadership at George Mason University.  Evans won 24.7 percent of the District 2 vote during April’s primary election.

Evans three main priorities, according to his website, are:

1. Closing the achievement gap among student racial, ethnic, language and income groups.
2. Improving relationships between the Board Education, the Montgomery County Council, Maryland State Legislature and federal representatives to obtain the appropriate financial resources to attract employees to schools, as well as businesses to a strong public education system.
3. Encouraging the board to initiate a careful analysis and action plan on what works and what needs to be changed in the Montgomery County school system.

Rebecca Smondrowski – Smondrowski, a parent of two current school-aged children, has served on local and county level PTAs. She has worked professionally in the local and state government, most recently as the legislative aide to Senator Roger Manno. Her endorsements include The Washington Post and the Parents Coalition, amongst others. Smondrowski won 22.4 percent of the vote in April’s primary election.

District 4:

Christopher Barclay – Barclay currently serves as Vice President of the Montgomery County Board of Education. He was elected to his first four-year term on Nov. 4, 2008, after being appointed to the Board on Dec. 9, 2006.

According to his campaign’s Facebook page, Barclay was appointed by the Governor to the Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness. Barclay has served in a number of volunteer leadership roles with the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA), including Montgomery Blair cluster coordinator and MCCPTA Nominating Committee chair. He also has served on the NAACP Parents’ Council. Barclay automatically advanced to November’s general election as one of only two candidates in District 4.

Annita Seckinger - Seckinger currently volunteers as a mediator for the county and would work towards reducing the level of bullying in schools, she told Patch.

"I would work to quell the anxiety I have seen since working with these students, who really should not be watching over their shoulders in fear," Seckinger said.

Seckinger would also focus on healthier in-school meals and, what she called, a "a lack of transparency within our current Board of Education."

"It seems that a lot of our school land is being given away, while our students and taxpayers are losing on many levels," Seckinger said. "I do not understand why, and I would work to fight these types of 'giveaways.'"

Ballot Questions

Voters will be asked to weigh in on several ballot questions, including:

Congressional Redistricting:

In July, .

Democrats have filed a lawsuit challenging the Republican-led ballot petition, MarylandReporter.com reported.

If a challenge is unsuccessful, voters would weigh in on a plan . The voting districts were redrawn as part of a process Maryland undertakes every 10 years following the U.S. Census.

One of the most significant changes in the redrawn districts was the inclusion of large parts of Montgomery County in the 6th District. U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R) of Buckeystown has held the 6th District seat for 10 terms.

Democrats currently hold six of the state's eight congressional seats.

The inclusion of Montgomery County, where Democrats enjoy a significant voter registration advantage, is seen as a challenge to Bartlett and has been criticized by Republicans.

County and state Democrats and the NAACP also have criticized the redistricting map, claiming that the redrawn districts .

Dream Act:
The Dream Act would allow illegal immigrant students to pay in-state tuition at institutions in the University System of Maryland if their parents filed to pay state taxes, if they attended a Maryland high school for at least three years and if they graduated. Passed by the General Assembly in 2011, and landed it on the 2012 ballot as a voter referendum.

Same-sex Marriage:
On March 1, in Maryland. Despite celebrations from supporters, opponents in May in November. Until then, supporters of same-sex marriage, such as Equality Maryland are mobilizing support, canvassing and holding public events. Groups that oppose same-sex marriage, including the Maryland Catholic Conference, are still soliciting support and fundraising.

Workers with Disabilities:

 that would give the government more flexibility to hire people with significant cognitive and physical disabilities will be decided by voters in November. 

(D-Dist 3), with the support of County Executive Isiah Leggett, the change would create a program within the county's internal employment system to recruit, select and hire people with certain disabilities for some county jobs.

Currently, the language of the county's charter prevents people with significant disabilities from holding some positions within county government.

This is how the proposed amendment will appear on the ballot:

Question A Charter amendment by act of County Council Merit System – Hiring Individuals with Disabilities

Amend Section 401 of the County Charter to allow the County to operate a program within the merit system to recruit and select qualified individuals with severe physical or mental disabilities on a noncompetitive basis.