It's past time to reform Maryland's primary elections

Commentary by: Delegate Lily Qi

Daniel Roche votes at the Michael E. Busch Annapolis Library. Voters turn out to cast their ballots in the Annapolis Primary Election Tuesday. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)

“Maryland is now home to nearly a million independent voters, about one in four voters. This reflects a national trend. Many are party-averse immigrants from countries where politics often evoke fear and distrust. In fact, immigrant-heavy Hispanic and Asian communities top the list, with 52% and 41% of registered voters identifying as independents, respectively. Another fast-growing cohort of independent voters is young people, who are significantly more diverse than their parents’ generation and less likely to be party loyalists.

Often, independent voters are unaware that in a state like Maryland, they can only vote for the non-partisan school board positions, with all other options intentionally left blank.


This is undemocratic.”

read here for full article:

https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/21/maryland-primary-elections/