2026 General Election Endorsements:
School Board
In the Board of Education At-Large race, Omar Lazlo and Brenda Diaz (whom we cautioned against in our endorsements) got the top two spots and will move on to the fall election. It is really important for voters to go to the polls in November and support Omar Lazlo for the Board of Education and not Brenda Diaz, who is affiliated with the Moms for Liberty movement. The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee put out a statement opposing her on their website.
Ballot Questions:
County Ballot Question A
Republicans have been successful in recent years in hamstringing the county through ballot questions. They limited county council members to three terms. Then they limited the county executive to two terms. They required a supermajority of the council to raise the budget (7 out of 11 councilmembers). Now they want to go even further to handcuff the county by requiring a unanimous vote of the county council to raise the budget beyond inflation. This would mean that one lone councilmember could hold the county’s budget hostage. They gathered 10,000 signatures (In a county of over 1 million residents that is all it takes to get a charter amendment on the ballot!) and Ballot Question A will be on the November ballot. There are many reasons this would be a bad idea:
- It would give the county no flexibility in the event of an economic downturn (which is likely under the Trump Administration).
- It would hamper county services if Federal or State funds are cut transferring responsibility to the county to pick up the slack (e.g. for SNAP benefits or health insurance), as is happening now.
- It would make it almost impossible for the county to increase the budget as costs rise above the consumer price index (e.g. to pay for fuel for county vehicles as gas now sells for over $4 a gallon).
- It would not allow investments in the schools as school buildings age and need urgent repairs (like to the HVAC system to account for climate change).
- It would not allow increases to give additional pay to attract and recruit additional police, firefighters or teachers.
The bottom line is it would cause a deterioration of county services and of the quality of life in the county. A supermajority of the council is already required to raise the budget. Requiring a unanimous vote will invest enormous power in each and every councilmember to block needed increases.
Please vote in November and vote against Question A! We can’t afford to give in to the Republicans and handcuff the county.
State Ballot Question 3
This year President Trump started a redistricting war to tip the scales and ensure Republicans control of Congress. After a Supreme Court decision allowing partisan redistricting, Trump got Texas and other states to redistrict and they made it much harder for Democrats to win Congressional seats. Other states followed suit. California responded by also changing their district lines to favor Democrats. Democrats in Virginia and Maryland tried to respond. Virginia’s efforts were stopped by the courts. Maryland’s effort was stopped by the President of the Senate, Bill Ferguson. A Special Session this month though, placed Ballot Question 3 on the November ballot which would allow redistricting for the 2028 election. It would likely eliminate the one Republican leaning district (on the Eastern Shore). The House of Representatives is very closely divided. Every seat is necessary for Democrats to gain control of the House and start to hold Trump accountable for his crime spree and violations of the rule of law. We urge you to vote Yes on State Ballot Question 3 to help preserve democracy. For more information, go to the Fight Back MD website.
Progressive Neighbors 