(11/29) Across the country, voter turnout was up significantly this election cycle compared to both the 2018-midterm elections and the 2016 Presidential election. Frederick County, Maryland and Adams County, Pennsylvania saw this trend as well, as both counties saw a significantly higher number of votes cast this election when compared to the 2016 Presidential election. In Frederick County, 126,536 votes were cast in 2016 for a total voter turnout of 76.96%. In 2020, 145,615 votes were cast.

While the true total number of registered voters for this election cycle is not yet known due to Election Day voter registrations, best estimates place voter turnout between 78-84% this year. In Adams County, 48,253 votes were cast in 2016 for a total turnout of 72.32%. This year, 52.930 votes were cast in the county, representing a voter turnout of 78.65%. While all eyes were and remain focused on the Presidential election at the top of the ticket, many important races down-ballot were contested as well.

Starting with the top of the ballot vote, the most significant local news is the shift in voting in Frederick County. Presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden (D) won Frederick County by about 14,000 votes (53-43%) over President Donald Trump (R). This is a major change from 2016, when Trump won the county over Hillary Clinton (D) by 3,000 votes (47-45%). Statewide, Biden carried the state of Maryland by a similar margin to Clinton’s in 2016, 65-32%.

In the State of Pennsylvania, the opposite shift was seen statewide as Biden won the state by 80,000 votes (approximately 1.2% difference), a major win for Democrats, who lost the state by 50,000 votes (approximately 0.7% difference) in 2016. Adams County voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 by similar 60-35% margins both times. Additional news in Pennsylvania includes the State House passing a bipartisan resolution requiring a complete audit of the 2020 Election statewide.

An independent party will be brought in to conduct the audit. Per a press release, "audit would not question the results of the 2020 election, but rather scrutinize the process to guarantee integrity in every election." While the Associated Press has declared Biden the President-Elect with 306 Electoral Votes to Trump’s 232, there are still several outstanding legal challenges filed by the Trump Campaign. Additionally, the result of the Presidential Election will not be officially certified until the Electoral College convenes to cast their votes on December 14.

In Frederick County, three open seats for the Board of Education, four questions relating to amendments to the County Charter, and two statewide ballot questions were among the major ballot items. In the Board of Education race, the winners were Sue Johnson (61,100 votes), Jason Johnson (46,700 votes), and David Bass (43,200 votes). Closely behind these three were incumbent Board members Lois Jarman and Rae Gallagher, as well as Dean Rose. Paulette Anders, who launched a massive write-in campaign, was also unsuccessful in her quest for a board seat.

Incumbent board member Michael Bunitsky did not seek re-election. Both statewide questions passed by significant margins. Question 1 allows for the General Assembly, beginning in 2024, to "increase, diminish, or add items (to the yearly state budget), provided that the General Assembly does not exceed the total proposed budget as submitted by the Governor." The question passed with 74% approval. Question 2 allows for the legalization of "sports and events betting for the primary purpose of raising revenue for education." The question passed with 67% approval.

All four questions on the ballot for Frederick County voters passed by wide margins. Question A, the Council Non-interference amendment, passed with 85% approval. The amendment "requires the County Executive to provide any information that is requested by an individual County Council member which is for the purpose of introducing and evaluating legislation or to engage in the review and monitoring of Government programs, activities, and policy implementation." Question B, relating to Borrowing Limitations, passed with 75% approval. The amendment reduces the percentage of assessable property the County can pledge for debt from 5 to 3 percent of assessable real property, and from 15 to 9 percent of assessable personal property. Questions C and D, relating to Council Member and County Executive Vacancies, both passed with approximately 75% approval.

Both questions state that in the event of a vacancy for either a Council Member or the County Executive, the central committee of the political party of the vacating individual will nominate three persons to fill the vacancy. The Council will then select a person to fill the vacancy from the nominees after the candidates are presented to the public, subjected to interviews, and any and all public comments given. In the event the vacancy is not filled within forty-five days, the County Executive will fill the vacancy in the event of a Council Member vacancy, and the County’s Chief Administrative Officer will assume the role of County Executive in the event of a County Executive vacancy. For either position, if the vacancy occurs in the first year of the term, a special election will be held to fill the seat for the balance of the term.

Parts of Frederick County lies in Congressional District 6, while other parts lie in Congressional District 8 which encompass northern Frederick Country. Democrats voted more by mail than Republicans by a wide margin. District 8 voters had a choice between incumbent Jamie Raskin (D) and challenger Gregory Coll (R). While Coll won Frederick County by a 56-43% margin, Raskins won re-election by a 67-32% margin thanks to other parts of the district, which include most of Montgomery County, which skew more towards Democrats.

The final candidates on the ballot for Frederick County voters were judges. Theresa Adams, unopposed for Judicial Circuit 6 Judge, won with 97.7% of the vote. Both E. Gregory Wells (Court of Special Appeals- At-Large Seat) and Kathryn Grill Graeff (Court of Special Appeals- Appellate Circuit 3) were voted to be allowed to continue in their current roles, both with greater than 85% approval.

Across the border in Pennsylvania, Adams County voters had three state-wide offices to vote for: Attorney General, Auditor General, and State Treasurer. The incumbent Attorney General, Joshua Shapiro (D) won a second term against Heather Heidelbaugh (R) by a margin of 51-46%. This five percent margin of victory is a stronger mandate than the three percent margin he won by in 2017.

With the incumbent Auditor General running for a different office in 2020, the race presented two new candidates: Timothy Defoor (R) and Nina Ahmad (D). A molecular biologist by trade, Ahmad won the race by a narrow 49-46% margin, thanks in great part to a strong endorsement for the position from former President Barrack Obama.

A shocking upset occurred in the State Treasurer race with Stacy Garrity (R) defeating incumbent Joseph Torsella (D) by a slim 48.7-47.9% margin, a difference of only about 50,000 votes out of over 6.8 million that were cast. Torsella was seeking his second and final (due to term limits) term as State Treasurer and was considered a rising star in the Democratic party. Torsella was touted as a possible candidate for governor or U.S. Senator in 2022, but those aspirations may have to be reconsidered on the tails of this shocking loss. Garrity, a U.S. Army veteran, became the first Republican to beat an incumbent Democrat in a statewide election contest since 1994. Within Adams County, all three Republican candidates won a strong majority of the vote by approximately a 2:1 ratio.

Congressional District 13 in Pennsylvania encompasses the entirety of Blair, Huntingdon, Bedford, Fulton, Franklin, and Adams Counties. Recent redistricting has solidified this district as a Republican stronghold. As expected, incumbent John Joyce (R) won a second term in the U.S. House by a decisive 74-26% margin over former police officer and FBI Special Agent Todd Rowley (D). State Senatorial District 33, encompassing all of Adams County and parts of Cumberland, Franklin, and York Counties, reelected Doug Mastriano (R) to another term.

After Richard Alloway (R) resigned the position in early 2019, a special election was held, during which Mastriano won the seat with a 75% majority of the votes. This election cycle, Mastriano won against Rich Sterner (D) by a dominant 67-32% margin. Finally, Dan Moul (R) won reelection in the 91st Legislative District in Pennsylvania to serve another term in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. Running unopposed, Moul received 94% of votes. The 91st district includes parts of Southern Adams County, including Carroll Valley, Fairfield, Gettysburg, Littlestown, and other townships.