Only 23% of eligible voters cast a ballot in Montgomery County primary

Only 23% of Montgomery County’s eligible voters cast a ballot in last month’s primary. That’s a marginally lower turnout than in the previous two primaries.

A total of 161,146 ballots were cast in the June 23 election and certified by the county elections board on Wednesday. According to board President David Naimon, turnout was 2 percentage points lower than in the 2024 primary election and 4 percentage points lower than in the 2022 primary election.

These numbers are consistent across Maryland. Just 24% of the state’s eligible voters cast a ballot in the gubernatorial primary, a weaker turnout than the 27% in 2022.

It’s unclear why more people didn’t participate in the primary, in which voters were allowed to vote early, by mail and in person on primary day. Primaries and local elections tend to have lower voter turnout than presidential elections. And rainstorms throughout the county on June 23 likely kept some potential voters home.

A relatively small number of votes separated the winner and the runner-up in several Montgomery County races.

In the District 3 County Council Democratic race, Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman beat Rockville City Council member Izola Shaw by fewer than 400 votes. And in the at-large council Democratic race, school board member Karla Silvestre edged out immigration attorney Fatmata Barrie by just over 1,100 votes.

According to Naimon, none of the 2026 primary races was close enough for a candidate to request a recount.

“Our experience in 2018 and 2022 was that recounts did not change the margin of victory by even a handful of votes,” Naimon said in a social media post.

Most Apple Ballot candidates win

Eighty percent of the candidates endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association’s “Apple Ballot” won in the primary and will appear on the ballot in November.

The local teachers union distributes its coveted Apple Ballot endorsements before every county election, typically backing Democrats.

This year, these Apple Ballot candidates won their primaries:

• County Executive — Will Jawando
• County Council
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• Board of Education
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Just three MCEA-backed candidates lost their primaries:

• County Council District 3 — Izola Shaw
• County Council At-Large — Fatmata Barrie
• County Council At-Large — Josie Caballero

“The Apple Ballot remains the most influential endorsement a candidate can earn,” MCEA Vice President Danillya Wilson said in a June 29 release.

“With it comes not just the endorsement of thousands of educators, but also the people who stand behind it and work to get those candidates elected.”

County introduces portal to report unapproved ICE activity

Montgomery County has introduced a new online portal for residents to report activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they believe violates new county regulations.

The County Council passed two laws earlier this year that restrict ICE activity within the county’s borders.

The Unmask ICE Act prohibits federal, state and local law enforcement officers from wearing masks or face coverings while on duty in the county. The County Values Act prohibits the use of county-owned parking lots, garages and vacant lots for immigration enforcement. It also requires a judicial warrant for ICE to access nonpublic areas of county facilities.

County residents can use an online form to report a violation, either anonymously or with their name attached for follow-up.

“This reporting portal will help us better understand what is happening in our community, identify areas where residents may need support, and respond with accurate information and resources,” County Executive Marc Elrich said in a press release Wednesday.