I know it is election season by the brochures I’ve been getting in the mail and the signs I’ve seen all over the neighborhood promoting people running for various offices. Most of the time, I do not understand what office these people are running for and why I should vote for one over the other. And I wonder what power they have, anyway, once elected? They promise to do everything from getting rid of crime to collecting the garbage more often, but can they really make those things happen?
This article is an elementary guide to the workings of Maryland politics for those readers who also don’t understand much about it but would like to. If you don’t care, or you already know everything, just skip this. It is not meant for you!
The election on June 26, 2018 is for state as well as county positions. (Baltimore City does not have municipal elections now.) It is a primary election, which means that voters must vote for the slate that matches their registration. Only Democrats can vote for the Democrat candidates, and only Republicans can vote for the Republican candidates. The winners of each party’s primary will then run against each other in November.
Citizens may also register as independents, neither Republican nor Democrat, but then they cannot vote in the primary elections. Since Maryland is a state with a large Democrat population, some races only have Democratic candidates. (For example, in the race for delegates for the 41st district, only Democrats are running.) Even when a Republican is running for an office, in parts of the state, like Baltimore City, he/she is likely to lose the general election in the face of the overwhelming majority of Democrat voters. That means that, in many races, the primary election is more important than the general election. Many people who are inclined to vote Republican therefore register as Democrats, so as to have a voice in choosing the office holder.
Democrats and Republicans
What is the difference between Republicans and Democrats? In general, Democrats are described as being more “liberal,” or “left,” while Republicans are more “conservative,” or “right,” although these terms have a broader definition and do not apply across the board. Basically, the most fundamental difference between them is their view of the power of the government versus that of the individual. Republicans believe that the government should focus on its constitutional powers and essentially stay out of people’s lives. Democrats believe that the government should be more involved with the lives of the individual.
This difference in philosophy affects many issues. For example, Republicans believe in economic freedom, under which wage earners would keep most of their paychecks and choose how to spend their money. They believe that this is better for the economy because more funds will circulate, more purchases will be made, and more workers will be hired. Democrats believe in higher taxes for wealthier people so that the government can take care of the people who do not make enough money to live comfortably. Sometimes, this is called the “redistribution” of wealth.
Republicans believe that people who work hard will naturally earn more, while Democrats believe that social constraints (like racism or poverty) limit the ability of wide swaths of people to earn enough for their needs. The want to compensate for those weaknesses through such policies as welfare, affirmative action, and a mandated minimum wage.
Democrats advocate for more government interference in all aspects of life. In health care, for example, ObamaCare was an effort to extend insurance coverage to the many people who could not afford it or were not eligible. In order for it to work, it required everyone to purchase health care and fined those who didn’t. Republicans believe that the government should not tell people what to do. They say that the private insurance market is more efficient, and that it is dangerous for the federal government to be involved in making health care decisions that should be solely between doctor and patient. They also feel that each state should decide what is good for their state and that making insurance a requirement takes away the individual’s right to make his or her own choices. However, Republicans agree that there must be efforts to provide more affordable and accessible health care for everyone, and have proposed efforts to do that.
Democrats usually advocate less spending for the military and more on taking care of the people through entitlements (like welfare), while Republicans believe that a primary function of the federal government is to protect against foreign threats and therefore want to increase military spending. Democrats and Republicans often differ on other issues, such as abortion, the death penalty, and immigration.
Maryland State Government
The executive branch of the state government is headed by the governor, who is currently Governor Larry Hogan. Then there is the Maryland General Assembly which is the legislative branch of the government. The General Assembly is made up of the House of Delegates and the State Senate. Any law that is proposed by either one of the houses has to be approved by the majority of both houses.
One of the governor’s jobs is to submit a budget each year on how money should be spent by the state for the following fiscal year. The General Assembly has the power to pass the budget that the governor proposes or not. In Maryland, a lot of the spending is mandated. That means that even before the governor proposes his budget, 83 cents of every dollar are already allocated. He can only choose what to do with the remaining 17 cents. The governor may want to raise more money in order to be able to accomplish more. Some governors try to make more money for their projects by raising taxes and tolls. Other governors try to make more money by cutting waste that is often found in government.
The State of Maryland is divided into 47 districts. Each district has three delegates and one senator. Most readers of the WWW live in either the 41st district or in the 11th district (Yeshiva Lane is in the 11th District). After the 2020 population census, the districts will be reshuffled in a process called “redistricting.” This is a process in which new boundaries are drawn for each district. Party leaders have used this process as a method to boost their party’s representation in the State legislature. In Maryland, the governor submits a redistricting plan, but the legislature either votes on the governor’s plan or creates its own. Baltimore City might end up with fewer legislators because its population may have decreased, and this will impact the frum community.
Interestingly, the legislature is only in session for 90 days a year, from January to April. The rest of the year, the delegates are mostly doing constituent service. Besides getting a salary and a pension, legislators get other perks, such as taxpayer-paid hotel stays in Annapolis and a per diem for food during the time the legislature is in session. It is during the legislative session when lobbyists are most active in persuading legislators to pass bills that benefit the groups the lobbyists represent.
What Laws Does the State Government Make?
The General Assembly deals with the laws that will be imposed on the entire state. Laws that only affect Baltimore City are handled at the city level, though the State can pass laws that fund or defund certain State services in Baltimore City or other jurisdictions. Maryland State income taxes are decided in the General Assembly of Maryland. For example, under the previous governor, over 40 tax and fee increases occurred. The sales tax was increased from 5% to 6%, and other taxes were imposed, such as the rain tax, the flush tax, and income taxes. When Governor Hogan came into office, he cut some of those taxes and reduced tolls for the first time in 50 years.
Criminal sentencing laws and bail policy are also handled in the General Assembly. Other laws, such as gun laws, distribution of education funds, abortion laws, and rights of illegal immigrants are also decided by General Assembly. And because the General Assembly has the power to decide how much money will be budgeted for each state agency, it can also affect how much emphasis is placed on various priorities, such as the environment, education, etc.
When selecting whom to choose as a delegate or a senator, voters are hoping to have someone in the General Assembly of Maryland who understands what they want and what will be good for their community. The 47 senators and 141 delegates can make things happen to benefit their constituents by proposing laws and voting for the laws that they want passed.
The Democratic Central Committee
We have seen ads for people running to join the Democratic Central committee. Do you also wonder what that is? Each jurisdiction in the State of Maryland has a Republican Central Committee and a Democratic Central Committee. There are 24 jurisdictions in Maryland – 23 counties plus Baltimore City. The members of the central committee are volunteers who attend meetings about once a month. They have the power to influence the platform of their party. However, their most influential power is their ability to make recommendations for appointments when there is a vacancy caused by death, illness, or other things, such as imprisonment. The committee can recommend delegates or senators to the governor to appoint, and the governor usually complies with the committee’s recommendation.
For example, District 41 currently has three delegates. Of those three, only one was elected by the voters. The other two were nominated by the Democratic Central Committee and then appointed by the governor. The members of the nominating committee can nominate themselves. This shows how being elected to serve on the Central Committee may give a person a lot of power in our state.
What is a Sheriff?
One of the positions we will vote for in the primary is the position of sheriff. I always thought a sheriff is a man who rides on a horse and has shoot-outs with cowboys. Well, the modern day sheriff seems to have other jobs. Here are a few of them:
- Service of rent court orders and evictions as well as writs of execution, summonses, subpoenas, and writs of possession
- Execution of arrest warrants as well as domestic violence and peace orders
- Execution of sheriff’s sales
- Collection of fines and court costs
- Transportation of prisoners to place of incarceration and custodial charge of prisoners during trial
- Maintaining order in the circuit court courtrooms and custodial charge of jurors during sequestration, including transportation to and from overnight accommodations
What Is a Clerk of the Court?
On my morning walk along Cross Country, I saw a sign reminding me to vote for a certain clerk of the court. What does a clerk of the court do? The clerk of the court is a position in every jurisdiction that is part of this year’s elections. It is much an administration position that assists the judges and keeps the administrative side of the courthouse operating properly. No one in the broad voting population really understand what a clerk of the court is or who would be better or worse, so the election is usually about who has the money to finance a stronger campaign.
I hope that this summary of some of the details of the upcoming primary will be helpful to my readers. When you see a sign asking you to vote for a particular candidate, at least you will have a little background on our political system and some understanding of what the candidate’s job will be and the significant impact elections have on our community.
