Democrats close gaps in key county races following latest mail-in count
Nov. 11—Democrats gained ground in the key local races in Frederick County — including the Board of Education and the County Council's at-large and District 1 seats — following the first day of post-Election Day mail-in ballot counting on Thursday.
In the race for four seats on the seven-member Board of Education, incumbent Karen Yoho and Rae Gallagher — both members of the Students First Slate that the unions representing Frederick County Public Schools employees have endorsed — surpassed Cindy Rose to claim the second and third spots, respectively. Rose was fourth in the race following Thursday's count.
Nancy Allen remained atop the field. She and Rose are members of the Education Not Indoctrination slate, a conservative group that has challenged how the school system teaches students about subjects such as racism, sexuality and health.
Allen remained nearly 3,000 votes ahead of Yoho, who was in second place following Thursday's tally.
Dean Rose, another member of the Students First Slate, was in fifth, 774 votes behind Cindy Rose.
In the race for the at-large seats on the County Council, Democrat Brad Young drew to within 1,152 votes of Republican Tony Chmelik for one of the two seats. Councilman Phil Dacey, R, remained the top vote getter.
The three candidates, though, are separated by less than 1 percentage point.
Following Thursday's count, Councilman Jerry Donald, D, was 715 votes behind Republican challenger John Distel in the race for the District 1 seat. After Election Day, Donald was 1,246 votes behind Distel.
The gap in the Frederick County executive race between state Sen. Michael Hough, R, and County Councilwoman Jessica Fitzwater, D, shrunk by about 1,600 votes.
Following Thursday's mail-in count, Hough remained in the lead with 47,052 votes, or 54.07%. Fitzwater had 39,858 votes, or 45.80%.
Canvassers for the Frederick County Board of Elections counted 4,500 ballots on Thursday, the first day of mail-in vote counting following Election Day on Tuesday. Canvassers began counting at 10 a.m. and finished at about 6:15 p.m.
The county's Board of Elections is scheduled to continue mail-in ballot counting from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Frederick County Elections Director Barbara Wagner said she expects results to be posted after 8 p.m. those days.
The board has scheduled additional mail-in ballot counting days for Nov. 14 to 18, if needed.
The board is expected to certify final general election results on Nov. 18.
Following Thursday's count, here's where several races in Frederick County stood:
Frederick County executive
— Michael Hough, R: 47,052 (54.07%)
— Jessica Fitzwater, D: 39,858 (45.80%)
Seven seats on the Frederick County Council
At-large (voters elect two candidates)
— Philip Dacey, R: 42,151 (25.96%)
— Tony Chmelik, R: 41,922 (25.82%)
— Brad W. Young, D: 40,770 (25.11%)
— Renee Knapp, D: 37,436 (23.05%)
District 1
— John A. Distel, R: 10,437 (51.76%)
— Jerry Donald, D: 9,722 (48.21%)
District 2
— Steven J. McKay, R: 10,925 (58.99%)
— Lisa Jarosinski, D: 7,577 (40.91%)
District 3
— M.C. Keegan-Ayer, D: 7,918 (61.57%)
— Shelley Aloi, R: 4,919 (38.25%)
District 4
— Kavonte Duckett, D: 9,104 (58.62%)
— John Fer, R: 6,401 (41.22%)
District 5
— Mason Carter, R: 12,561 (69.10%)
— Julianna Lufkin, D: 5,595 (30.78%)
Frederick County Board of Education (voters elect four candidates)
— Nancy A. Allen (Education Not Indoctrination slate): 38,195 (15.70%)
— Karen Yoho (Students First slate): 35,216 (14.48%)
— Rae Gallagher (SF): 35,133 (14.44%)
— Cindy Rose (ENI): 35,025 (14.40%)
— Dean Rose (SF): 34,251 (14.08%)
— Olivia Angolia (ENI): 32,643 (13.42%)
— Ysela Bravo (SF): 30,512 (12.54%)
Frederick County sheriff
— Chuck Jenkins, R: 48,327 (55.81%)
— Karl Bickel, D: 38,176 (44.08%)
District 3 (voters elect three candidates)
— Ken Kerr, D: 19,605 (23.84%)
— Karen Simpson, D: 19,364 (23.54%)
— Kris Fair, D: 19,056 (23.17%)
— Kathy Diener, R: 12,007 (14.60%)
— Justin Wages, R: 11,837 (14.39%)
District 4 (voters elect three candidates)
— Jesse T. Pippy, R: 27,983 (20.72%)
— April Fleming Miller, R: 27,214 (20.15%)
— Barrie S. Ciliberti, R: 27,189 (20.13%)
— Andrew Duck, D: 18,302 (13.55%)
— Millicent A. Hall, D: 17,411 (12.89%)
— Brandon Duck, D: 16,879 (12.50%)
Question A — Clarifies that the County Council has the final say over an arbitrator in labor disputes between the county and its career firefighters
— Against the charter amendment: 45,758 (56.83%)
— For the charter amendment: 34,755 (43.17%)
Following Election Day, about 4,500 votes separated U.S. Rep. David Trone and state Del. Neil Parrott in the race to represent Maryland congressional District 6 — which covers nearly all of Western Maryland, including Frederick County and northern Montgomery County.
Trone received nearly two times as many votes from Thursday's mail-in ballot count (4,120) as Parrott did (1,942) in Frederick County.
Overall in Frederick County, there were 16,906 mail-in ballots left to count at the start of Thursday's canvassing, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.
The Frederick County Board of Elections had received 20,682 mail-in ballots as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.
The Frederick County Board of Elections received and processed an additional 364 mail-in ballots on Thursday, Wagner said in an interview.
Ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by 10 a.m. on Nov. 18 will be counted. On Nov. 18, election officials typically go to the U.S. Postal Service building on East Patrick Street in Frederick to collect the remaining mail-in ballots that have met that deadline.
As of Wednesday, more than 29,300 mail-in ballots had been sent to Frederick County voters.
During the eight-day early-voting period and on Election Day, 2,602 Frederick County voters cast a provisional ballot. Under state law, local election boards will count provisional ballots — which voters cast when there is a question at the polling place about someone's registration or eligibility — on Nov. 16.
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