Submission By: Courtney Hart
Most people think the Primary is just an opening act for November’s General Election. That’s what many politicians want you to think. The truth is that most Maryland elections are decided in June. A fraction of voters show up, nearly a million more are barred from participating, and a small group ends up deciding who governs the rest of us.
Maryland Elections Are Often Decided in the Primary
Consider Governor Wes Moore. He won the 2022 Democratic Primary with less than 35% of the vote. Yet, he went on to govern the state. With many districts drawn to favor one party over the other, this pattern repeats statewide: whoever wins the majority party’s primary in June takes November.
Party Registration Is Not the Same as Political Identity
It’s unclear when people began to treat voter registration as a statement about who they are. Maybe this has always been the case. Maybe we lost part of ourselves and filled in the gap with our politics. Either way, as politics become more polarizing than ever, we feel it more. The two-party system preys on this, leaving no room for the complexity that is being a human. Instead, we’re taught that if you’re not “with us” then you are “against us.” It becomes ingrained in us that we have to choose.
If you want your vote to matter in states like Maryland, it can’t be that way. You have to start seeing your party affiliation as functional not ideological. It’s a tool to open doors that the powerful want to close on you.
How Maryland’s Closed Primary System Works
Maryland has a “closed primary system,” and it acts like a gatekeeper. You have to be “in” a party to have a say. Notice the language. We say “in” rather than “registered with.” Semantics matter.
My political views don’t line up neatly with either party. I despise being put into any box. But I choose to stay registered as a Democrat so I can decide who represents me. I learned the rules of a game most people were never taught. Now, I know that’s where my vote counts the most.
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What Unaffiliated Voters Can and Cannot Vote For
If you’re unaffiliated, you don’t get a say in the primaries. You can vote in the general election and in any non-partisan race in the primary, like for the Board of Education, but not for Governor or most State or County offices.
Smaller Parties Face a Different Barrier
Unaffiliated voters aren’t the only ones left out. The two major parties hold tax-payer funded primaries; smaller parties, like the Green Party, have to run and fund their own. The only way for them to get the state to pay for their primaries would be to beat the parties that already have funding by becoming one of the top-two contenders in the race for Governor. Without the money.
Efforts to Open Maryland Primaries Have Stalled
While there are bipartisan efforts to open up primaries, like the bill introduced by Delegates Qi and Schmidt this year, none have been successful to date. Their bill “died in committee,” meaning the legislators wouldn’t even hold a vote on it. Organizations like Open Primaries, Independent Voters of Maryland, Veterans for Maryland Voters, and Maryland Forward Party are working in coalition to change that. Until our elected officials stop fixing the rules to keep power, though, we have to learn to navigate within the system we have.
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Know Your District Before Choosing a Primary Ballot
To give your vote the most impact, you need to understand the district you live in. Do you live in a blue, red, or purple district? Most districts in Maryland aren’t competitive. If yours primarily leans Democratic or Republican, your vote will have more impact in that party’s primary.
It’s normal to feel like you don’t want to be one of “them.” Our two party system exploits that instinct. Fight back against the false belief that your identity is tied to your voter registration. You’re so much more than that, I promise. Choose to exercise your voice instead.
June 2 Is the Deadline to Change Party Registration
You don’t have to like the rules, but if you want to participate, you have to play by them. If you’re already a registered voter, update your registration by the June 2 deadline to Democrat or Republican by using this link:
https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration/InstructionsStep1
Together, we can show Annapolis that these arbitrary rules won’t stop us. When enough of us choose the primary ballot we want, we become a force great enough to make elections open and competitive again.
Courtney Hart is a Maryland-based writer and Licensed Clinical Social Worker who grew up in Montgomery County. She owns Healing Hart Wellness, publishes the Substack “A Few Thousand Days,” and volunteers as Communications Director for Maryland Forward Party. This piece reflects her views as a private citizen.