Category Archives: General Maryland Politics

Final EV Spreadsheet - Maryland Steps Up

Jonathan Shurberg   April 22, 2016   No Comments on Final EV Spreadsheet - Maryland Steps Up

Regardless of who you support in what race, it’s great to see numbers like the ones we’ve seen this week. Here’s the final tally.    In 2012, with two fewer days of early voting and a still new process, Democratic turnout was 48,907, or 2.49%. In 2014, a gubernatorial election year but with current levels of early voting days and… Read more »

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Early Voting: Day 8 (The Big Finish)

Jonathan Shurberg   April 22, 2016   No Comments on Early Voting: Day 8 (The Big Finish)

Just under 38,000 Democrats across Maryland voted in today’s last day of early voting, bringing the total to 188,910 for the eight days of early voting, or around 9 percent. Pretty solid numbers all around - what remains to be seen is whether a massive increase in early voting turnout leads to higher overall turnout, or just displaces what would… Read more »

Early Voting: Day 7 (And Down The Stretch They Come)

Jonathan Shurberg   April 21, 2016   1 Comment on Early Voting: Day 7 (And Down The Stretch They Come)

Next to last day of early voting, and the same patterns are holding. Montgomery County is continuing to perform very well, but Prince George’s is - as expected - closing the gap. MoCo leads by a scant 311 voters with a day to go, and it is likely that Prince George’s will end up taking the lead after tomorrow. But… Read more »

Laws That Don’t Even Qualify As Sausage

Jonathan Shurberg   April 20, 2016   No Comments on Laws That Don’t Even Qualify As Sausage

Following up on my just-posted story about Alex and Calvin’s law, the adage about making laws and making sausage has its limits. Some laws are so awful, so nasty, so stupid and ill-conceived from the get-go, that they should be given a category all their own. Let’s call them “rat poison” bills. Senate Bill 679 is such a bill. And… Read more »

Making Sausage Is Not A Pretty Process

Jonathan Shurberg   April 20, 2016   No Comments on Making Sausage Is Not A Pretty Process

A quote often misattributed to Otto von Bismarck but actually said by American poet John Godfrey Saxe, holds that “laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.” A slogan for much of what transpired in Annapolis in 2016, and none of it is new. When elections roll around, everyone praises their own work and… Read more »

Early Voting: Day 6 (MoCo Holds That Line)

Jonathan Shurberg   April 19, 2016   No Comments on Early Voting: Day 6 (MoCo Holds That Line)

Today’s early vote numbers are in, and things moved as I predicted they would. Prince George’s gained on Montgomery, and Baltimore County gained on Baltimore City, But the movements were smaller than we might have expected. Here’s the updated spreadsheet through six days. If you’ll remember, the PG/MoCo and County/City gains yesterday were around 800, and expected to accelerate based on… Read more »

A Spreadsheet And Some Initial Analysis

Jonathan Shurberg   April 19, 2016   No Comments on A Spreadsheet And Some Initial Analysis

As promised, here’s a spreadsheet of Democratic early voting turnout by county for each of the first five days of early voting. With five days of data in the can, there’s enough here to look for patterns and trends. Pull up a chair and let’s play. The main underperforming large jurisdiction on a cumulative basis thus far remains Prince George’s County, which lags… Read more »

Early Voting: Day 5 (Baltimore Bounceback)

Jonathan Shurberg   April 18, 2016   No Comments on Early Voting: Day 5 (Baltimore Bounceback)

The Day 5 numbers are in, and Baltimore (and Prince George’s County) had better days than they did over the weekend. Prince George’s led the way with 4,601 Democratic early voters today, Baltimore County followed with 3,901, Montgomery County was third with 3,808, and Baltimore City fourth with 3,489. Totals through five days for the Big 4: Montgomery 18,746, Prince George’s… Read more »

Early Voting: Day 4 (The Beat Goes On)

Jonathan Shurberg   April 18, 2016   No Comments on Early Voting: Day 4 (The Beat Goes On)

Day 4 brings us more of the same. Bad Sunday numbers, down again. Halfway home, Montgomery County extends its run, now leading by over 2000 Dem ballots cast over Prince George’s County and over 3500 ballots over Baltimore City and County. I’ll have the spreadsheet itself in the morning. Here’s a snapshot of Days 3-4 and the cumulative totals.   

Early Vote: Us Vs. Them

Jonathan Shurberg   April 17, 2016   No Comments on Early Vote: Us Vs. Them

As between the donkeys and the lunatic elephants, after three days there’s an enthusiasm gap and we’re winning big. Dem EV Turnout Statewide: 63,436 (3.04%) GOP EV Turnout Statewide: 21,420 (2.16%) 17 out of 24 jurisdictions have higher Dem percentage turnout than the GOP. NEWS FLASH: The Day 4 numbers were just posted moments ago. Hint: MoCo still rules Maryland’s… Read more »