2024 Election Results in Maryland

This is a very busy time for politics right now. With the presidential and senatorial elections, there are some other aspects to this election that are going to change your life locally, having a bigger impact on your everyday life. Typically, we don’t think about other roles on the ballot that will have a larger effect on you.The election ballot this year had more than just presidential candidates. It offered a vote on district representatives, senators, judges, representatives in congress, and most importantly views on certain issues. These are its outcomes.

Leading up to the election, polls were very close making it hard to depict who would win. The race did indeed prove to be tough at first, but later saw Republican Donald Trump and his Vice Presidential pick, JD Vance, winning several battleground states that helped them secure their  executive term through 2025-2029. A few of their goals are to seal the border and stop the migrant invasion, end inflation, cut taxes for workers, organize a large deportation operation, prevent a possible World War Three, get rid of drug cartels, gang violence, and much more. Donald Trump has a former Presidential experience since his term in 2017-2021. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Trump has recently faced accusations on fraud charges, keeping classified documents after leaving the White House, interference in the 2020 election, involvement on January 6th, 2021, and conspiring to overturn his defeat in Georgia for the 2020 election. JD Vance, recognized author of his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, has served as the junior U.S. senator from Ohio since 2023. He also graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. Overall the Trump-Vance Republican ticket gained 277 electoral votes, defeating the Harris-Walz democratic campaign, who had 224.

Another important Maryland representative position ran for election as well and this is the senate race. Like the Presidential election, the senatorial election was fairly close with Alsobrooks having 49% of the vote and Hogan having 42% of the remaining votes. Angela Alsobrooks was a county executive for Prince George’s County, became the first full time domestic violence prosecutor, and was a former states attorney for Prince George’s County. Her goals are to better represent Maryland in the Senate, strengthen supply chains, increase minimum wage, and organize reform in the criminal justice system. Alsobrooks graduated from Duke University and The University of Maryland of Law. 

There are 3 representatives for congress on the ballot. District 4 representative Glenn F. Ivey, district 6 representative April McMclain Delaney, and district 8 representative Jamie Raskin. Glenn F. Ivey wants to provide better paying jobs, make sure that healthcare & housing is affordable, justify the criminal justice system, and create equal opportunities for all Americans no matter where they live. April McMclain Delaney is also hoping to create better jobs, support small businesses, expand high speed internet across the country, uplift democratic institutions, and so much more. Finally, representing district 8, is Jamie Raskin. A few things that Raskin has done are fight for lower electricity prices, improve reliability for working families, introduce a bicameral resolution on book bans, and introduce legislation on growing “evidence-based suicideside prevention care.”

This year’s ballot included decisions that could impact our lives at school significantly and here are the results. The person elected for the board of education at large is Lynne Harris with 32.0% of votes. She strives to empower others to make their voices heard and truly understand the power they hold. While doing this she also influences others to join the Board of Education. Moving onto district 2, nonpartisan Natalie Zimmerman has been elected with 46.6% of votes. A few of her goals are to increase transparency between the board and the people, focus on data driven practices; meaning that the board should focus on removing student projects that are showing efficient improvement. One of her final goals is to “Support diversity and inclusivity across MCPS.” Last but certainly not least, Laura Stuart with 48.2%. She wants to advocate for accountability, school funding, equity in schools, transparency, healthy schools, and so much more. 

One of the widely talked about topics in America is abortion rights. Many believe that women should have the right to choose what they want to do with their own body. In addition to that there can be many outside reasons as to why a woman may want to make that important decision. In contrast there are others who believe that it isn’t right for a woman to make that decision. It can be because it might be biblically wrong to a person or overall just wrong. The 2024 ballot stated “The proposed confirms an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom.” going on by stating the options a woman may have when it comes to abortion. The ballot ends the question on “provides the State may not, directly, or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge, the right unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means.” To simplify, the question asks whether or not a state should have the right to be able to keep abortion rights or get rid of them. The voting outcome passed with 74.11% and 25.89% of Marylanders against it. This means that the constitutional amendment is going to be added onto the Maryland constitution.

To get a more personal opinion from someone who knows politics from the back of their hand, I interviewed Mr. Jeter to get his intel and opinion on the 2024 elections. I asked Mr. Jeter on his views on the “right to reproductive freedom.” being added onto the Maryland Constitution. “The voters have spoken.” He continues by saying how it’s great for the people to get an opinion in this matter “Normally the legislature the, but the people get to vote, and so the people had a chance to vote now.” says Mr. Jeter. When asked what his opinions were on Trump’s reelection Mr. Jeter stated, “Lots of people are excited and lots of people who are very anxious and upset. But at the end of the day, the election offers an opportunity for people to kind of voice who they want to vote for.” There are many aspects to Trump’s reelection seeing as ”It’ll be interesting to see, now that he’s already been in office before, how different it might be this time around, or how similar it is.” stated Mr. Jeter. This includes the fact that Trump has many goals and policies he wants to implement as President. It is possible that “he wants to accomplish something that he didn’t the last time.” Mr. Jeter ends his response by saying “We’ll see how it turns out, it’ll be interesting for those four years.” 

  It is very exciting to see our first African American women represent Maryland in the Senate. Mr. Jeter agrees with this stating that for new senators “I’ll be interested to see what committee they might get to be on and what their top priorities and policies are.” Seeing as a senatorial position requires partnership and a relationship between both the house and the senate, Alsobrooks prior jobs have prepared her to represent Marylanders in the senate including that Maryland will remain democratic, this is going to be an inspiring journey. The board of education result impacts you as a student gratefully, seeing as there has been three new people added onto the board. “It makes it interesting to see what their experiences are.” Mr. Jeter adds that “you can’t count on the same things happening because there’s new people”. For years the board of education has struggled with the budget and Mr. Jeter’s concerns are that it’s “looking like it might get even worse next year.” But he adds a bright side that “It’ll be very interesting to see how the new members decide to prioritize things for the new upcoming year.