The county roads are lined with campaign signs and candidates’ literature is arriving in mailboxes— the campaign season is upon us. To help citizens become informed about the choices they will be making in the upcoming Primary Election, the Leagues of Women Voters of Kent and Queen Anne’s County are sponsoring Forums for Candidates for the Maryland General Assembly from the 36 th District.Two forums, one for the Democratic candidates and one for the Republican candidates, will be held on Tuesday evening, August 17 th in the Board Room of the Queen Anne’s County Board of Education, 202 Chesterfield Ave. in Centreville. The Forum for the Democratic Candidates will take place from 6 – 7:15 p.m., and the Forum for the Republican Candidates will take place from 7:15 – 8:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend either or both forums.The 36 th District is comprised of all of Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne’s Counties, and part of Caroline County. It is represented by three Delegates and one Senator. The three delegates must be from different counties and, regardless of the county a citizen lives in, each registered voter votes for three delegate candidates, one from each county. In the Democratic primary, there are two candidates running for State Senator, Robert Alt and Steven Munford. For the three seats in the House of Delegates, there are only two candidates, Arthur Hock from Kent County and William Manlove from Cecil County. There is no Democratic candidate from Queen Anne’s County.
On the Republican side, there are two candidates running for State Senator, incumbent E.J. Pipkin and Donald Alcorn. Four candidates are running in the House of Delegates race: Jay Jacobs who is unopposed for the Kent County seat; Michael Smigiel who is unopposed for the Cecil County seat; and incumbent Richard Sossi who is opposed by Stephen Hershey for the Queen Anne’s County seat. All candidates are participating in the forum. The forums will begin with each candidate introducing himself. The introductions will be followed by questions from the audience. At the end, each candidate will be given time for a closing statement. No electioneering will be permitted inside the Board of Education Building; no campaign paraphernalia, including buttons, signs or literature will be allowed inside.The Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties Leagues of Women Voters are members of the US and Maryland Leagues of Women Voters. As a nonpartisan political organization, the League is committed to encouraging the active and informed participation of citizens in government. Membership is open to citizens age 18 or over, female or male. Though the League is nonpartisan—it does not endorse or oppose a party or candidate—its members are encouraged to be active in the political process. An informed citizenry is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy
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