Howard County Voter Guide: Primary Election Candidates, Polling Places

https://patch.com/maryland/columbia/2026-candidate-spotlight-meet-ryan-o-connor

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to narrow down the candidate pool for many Howard County offices, as well as several races at the state and federal levels.

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Maryland holds closed primary elections in which registered voters can cast ballots for their party's primary. Registered unaffiliated voters will not be able to vote in primary elections, but can vote in any nonpartisan primary election in their jurisdiction, such as a primary election to select candidates for the board of education.

Any registered voter can vote in the primary. Residents who are not registered to vote can learn more about registering to vote here.

Statewide, National Races

Maryland voters will elect candidates for governor, as Democratic incumbent Wes Moore faces a challenger in Eric Felber.

Both parties' candidates for attorney general are running unopposed. The candidates in both parties' primaries for comptroller are running unopposed

The incumbents in all of Maryland's eight Congressional districts face challengers in their respective primaries. Only the 7th District has a primary in which a candidate is running unopposed.

• RELATED: MD Voters To Choose Governor, U.S. Congress Candidates: What To Know

County Races

At the county levels, voters will decide races that include:

• County executive
• County Council or Commissioners members
• State's attorney
• Clerk of the Circuit Court
• Register of wills
• Judges of the Circuit and Orphans' courts
• Sheriff
• Members of the Democratic or Republican central committees

In Howard County, the following candidates are running for office:

County Executive

• Vanessa Atterbeary, Democrat
• Bob Cockey, Democrat
• Deb Jung, Democrat
• Liz Walsh, Democrat

County Council

• Kevin Chin, Democrat, District 1*
• James David Handley, Democrat, District 1
• Jean Xu, Democrat, District 1
• Arinze Malcolm Ifekauche, Democrat, District 2*
• Jessica I. Nichols, Democrat, District 2
• Amir S. Naviwala, Democrat, District 3
• Christiana Rigby, Democrat, District 3
• Linfeng Chen, Democrat, District 4*
• Regina Clay, Democrat, District 4*
• Janssen Evelyn, Democrat, District 4
• Shamieka Preston, Democrat, District 4*
• Cat Carter, Democrat, District 5
• Felita Phillips, Democrat, District 5
• Ryan P. O'Connor, Republican, District 5*

Howard County State's Attorney

• Rich Gibson, Democrat (unopposed)

Howard County Sheriff

• Marcus Harris, Democrat (unopposed)

Howard County Board of Education

• Mark E. Covington*
• Linda Frascarella
• Lanlan Xu
• Tamie Wainwright*
• Rachelle Johnson*

* indicates candidates who returned Patch's questionnaire

To view a full list of candidates in Howard County at the local level, click here. To see who is running for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, Congressional seats, Senatorial seats, House of Delegates and judges, click here.

How To Vote

Early voting ran from June 11 to June 18.

For in-person voting, residents must vote at their assigned polling place. Voters can check their assigned polling place at this link. Polls close at 8 p.m.

Marylanders can update their address or register to vote at their assigned polling place on Primary Election Day. Residents must bring their MVA-issued license, permit, ID card or change of address card. The ID can also be a paycheck, bank statement or utility bill. A government document with the voter's name and new address will also suffice.

Mail-In Ballot Drop Box Locations:

• Gary J. Arthur Community Center
• West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department
• George Howard Building
• Meadowbrook Athletic Complex
• Bain 50+ Center
• Howard County Police Department - Scaggsville
• St John Baptist Church
• Howard County Board of Elections
• North Laurel Community Center
• Elkridge 50+ Center