Howard County Election Results 2016: Board of Ed Upset, 'Yes' to Question A

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A steady stream of citizens flowed through the polls on Election Day in Howard County, where 59,054 residents cast their ballots during early voting, marking the highest turnout of any jurisdiction in Maryland.

"Voting is a right. I am a citizen. I have to do it," Sagaraika Pattnaik of Columbia told Patch after voting at Long Reach High School.

"Everyone should vote — especially because the candidates are controversial," said her husband, Radhak Pattnaik.

Most controversial was the Presidential election, where Howard County voters overwhelmingly supported the Democratic ticket, but also contentious was the local school board race.

Voters have apparently unseated the only incumbent Howard County Board of Education member running — Janet Siddiqui — based on unofficial election results.

Polls closed at 8 p.m., and as of 11:45 p.m., there were 121 of 124 precincts reporting the following:

See the latest results from the Howard County Board of Elections.

Unofficial results also showed 93,808 people in Howard County voted for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Tim Kaine and 44,792 supported Republicans Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Pence.

In addition, Question A appears to have passed, according to preliminary data, meaning a fund would be established for those looking to run for elective office.

Votes will not be made official until after absentee and provisional canvasses conclude on Nov. 18.

Early voting turnout: Howard County had the highest turnout of Maryland's 24 jurisdictions during early voting (Oct. 27 to Nov. 3), according to preliminary data from state officials. More than 58,000 Howard County residents cast their ballots, the state board of elections reported. That represented 28.22 percent of eligible voters in Howard County. Turnout during early voting was also high in Prince George's (26.94 percent), Kent (25.97 percent) and Harford counties (25.37 percent), state election officials said.

Ballot questions: Howard County voters were posed with three ballot questions, two pertaining to local issues and another regarding the state constitution. There were also Board of Education, U.S. Senate and congressional seats. See sample ballots below.

One Howard County ballot question proposes creating a public fund for those seeking to run for office. The other proposes decreasing the county executive's budget authority and increasing the county council's power over contingency reserves for capital projects.

An amendment to the state constitution would change the way the governor fills a vacancy of the attorney general or the comptroller and requires a special election for vacancies that occur on or before a certain date. Under current law, the governor fills a vacancy by appointing someone to serve for the remainder of the term. Under the amended law, if the vacating attorney general or comptroller were members of a political party, the governor would have to fill the vacancy from a list of three names provided by the political party of the vacating official.

Hours: Polls were open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Polling places: Find your polling place.

Paper ballots: Voters used a pen to mark their selections on paper ballots, then put the ballots in a scanner for tabulation. This video shows the voting process at the polls.

More information: See the Howard County Board of Elections and the Maryland Board of Elections websites for additional details.

Image via Shutterstock. Photo outside Long Reach High School by Elizabeth Janney.