Kent County

Mail-in Ballot Counts Put Biden Up in Kent County, Narrows Trump’s Lead in Talbot

November 8, 2020 by John Griep Leave a Comment

As the nation has seen with the presidential vote count in several battleground swing states, election results may change after Election Day as mail-in ballots are counted by poll workers.

And the final certified results in most states are yet to come.

In Maryland, the first round of counting mail-in ballots was Thursday, Nov. 5. The unofficial results after that count show Kent County flipped from voting Donald Trump in 2016 to Joe Biden in 2020.

That result could change again as provisional ballots are counted Thursday, Nov. 12, and the last batch of mail-in ballots are counted Nov. 13. Mail-in ballots may be received by 10 a.m. that day postmarked by Nov. 3 or dated Nov. 3 with a voter’s oath.

Election results will be verified and certified Nov. 13 and sent to the state elections board.

The statewide certification of results will be Tuesday, Dec. 8, with presidential electors casting votes for president on Monday, Dec. 14.

After Thursday’s initial count of mail-in ballots, Biden is leading in Kent County by 49.4% to 48.2% for Trump. Trump was leading 53% to 45% after ballots were counted on Election Day.

In 2016, Trump won 48.7% of Kent County’s vote to 45.7% for Hillary Clinton.

Biden won about 70% of the mail-in ballot vote in Kent County this year, mirroring trends seen nationwide.

Trump urged his voters to go to the polls on Election Day and has falsely claimed mail-in ballots are fraudulent. The Biden campaign encouraged mail-in ballots so voters could avoid lines on Election Day during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump’s numbers also slipped in Talbot County during Thursday’s count, but he still maintains a narrow lead over Biden.

The Republican president was leading Biden 50.5% to 47.3% on Election Day, but, as of Thursday, is only up 49.1% to 48.5%.

Trump’s vote margin dropped from 616 to 116 after the count of mail-in ballots.

In 2016, Trump won Talbot County 52.2% to 42.1% for Clinton.

In Dorchester County, Trump is faring better in 2020 than he did in 2016. He beat Clinton 55.3% to 41% four years ago and leads Biden 58.2% to 39.5%.

Dorchester Voters Pick School Board Members; Kent, Talbot Races Unopposed

November 6, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Voters in Dorchester, Talbot, and Kent counties elected candidates to 4-year terms on their county school boards.

Dorchester was the only county that had contested school board races.

In District 1, Mike D. Diaz defeated Phil Bramble to win a seat on the Dorchester County Board of Education. Diaz won 62% to 37%.

Susan Morgan ousted incumbent Philip W. Rice, the current school board president, in District 3, winning 68% to 31% for Rice.

Laura Hill Layton kept her District 5 seat, defeating Voncia L. Molock in a rematch of the 2016 election. Layton had 66% to 34% for Molock. In 2016, Layton won 73% to 27%.

In Talbot County, candidates for the three seats up for election ran unopposed.

Candace Henry won District 2, Susan Delean-Botkin was re-elected in District 5, and Mary Wheeler was re-elected in District 6.

In Kent County, Joe Goetz and Francoise Sullivan were unopposed in their bids for the two seats up for election.

Mid-Shore Counties Favor Trump, But Margins Differ From 2016

November 4, 2020 by John Griep 4 Comments

Voters in Talbot, Dorchester, and Kent counties again favored Republican Donald Trump for president.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden outperformed Hillary Clinton in one county, while the incumbent had a higher percentage of the vote in 2020 in the other two.

In Talbot County, Trump’s margin of victory slipped from 2016.

Unofficial 2020 results show Republican incumbent Trump with 50.5% of the vote in Talbot County. Democrat Joe Biden garnered 47.3% and Libertarian Jo Jorgensen had 1.1%.

Vice President Joe Biden (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Biden is faring better in Talbot County than Hillary Clinton did in 2016. Trump took 53.06% of the county’s vote four years ago, Clinton had 42.81%, Libertarian Gary Johnson had 3.13%, and Green Jill Stein had 1 percent.

The 2020 numbers likely will shift as election officials count remaining ballots on Nov. 5 and Nov. 13.

Republican incumbent Rep. Andy Harris also saw his Talbot County support dip in the 2020 race for First District.

Harris sits at 54.9% in Talbot and Democratic challenger Mia Mason has 45%.

In 2016, Harris had 60.8% of the vote in Talbot County, with 35.79% for Democrat Joe Werner and 3.41% for Libertarian Matt Beers.

In Dorchester County, Biden underperforms Clinton; Harris maintains margin of victory

Trump leads Biden 58.2% to 39.5% in the county. In 2016, Trump had 55.7% to 41.35% for Clinton.

Harris currently has 62.1% of Dorchester’s vote, with 37.7% for Mason. In 2016, Harris had 61.27%, Werner had 35.82%, and Beers had 2.9%.

Biden polls lower in Kent County: Harris essentially unchanged

Trump has 52.5% of Kent’s vote this year; he had 49.36% in 2016.

Biden has 44.9% compared to 46.31% for Clinton four years ago.

Harris essentially maintained his margin of victory from 2016.

Four years ago, Harris had 56.36%, Werner had 40.44%, and Beers had 3.2%.

Harris currently has 55.4% of Kent’s vote this year and Mason has 44.4%.

This post has been updated to correct the election year in which Joe Werner challenged Andy Harris.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Nov. 2

November 2, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases remain at 348.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 2.08%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 146,995, an increase of 850 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 3 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,007.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased by 6 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 529 people hospitalized — 396 in acute care and 133 in intensive care.

• Of the 26,814 test results received Nov. 1, the positivity rate was 3.76%; the 7-day positivity rate was 3.94%.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Additional information

• A total of 3,479,230 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 1,813,450 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 146,995 cases, 17,252 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,201 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the total cases, total ever hospitalized, and total deaths statewide.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Oct. 31

October 31, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 3 to 346, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 1.97%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 145,281, an increase of 967 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 10 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,000.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased by 7 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 520 people hospitalized — 394 in acute care and 126 in intensive care.

• Of the 32,984 test results received Oct. 30, the positivity rate was 3.44%; the 7-day positivity rate was 3.77%.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Additional information

• A total of 3,422,662 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 1,793,391 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 145,281 cases, 17,093 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,181 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the total cases, total ever hospitalized, and total deaths statewide.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Oct. 30

October 30, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases remain at 343.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 1.61%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 144,314, an increase of 927 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 10 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 3,990.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased by 11 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 513 people hospitalized — 387 in acute care and 126 in intensive care.

• Of the 28,516 test results received Oct. 29, the positivity rate was 4.01%; the 7-day positivity rate was 3.71%.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Additional information

• A total of 3,389,678 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 1,782,204 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 144,314 cases, 17,023 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,164 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the total cases, total ever hospitalized, and total deaths statewide.

New Bay Crossing Site Narrowed to Three Options

September 2, 2020 by Spy Desk 3 Comments

The best location for a third Bay Bridge would be adjacent to the current spans, according to a state agency report. Two other options — one north of the existing bridges and one south — out of the five remaining alternatives also will undergo additional study.

The Maryland Transportation Authority selected the three alternatives based on traffic congestion, safety, dependable and reliable travel times, flexibility for maintenance and incident management, and financial viability.

The ongoing study also will include a no-build alternative.

Phase 1 of the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study outlined 14 possible alternatives. Corridors 1-4 and 10-14 were eliminated from further consideration because those locations would not provide adequate traffic capacity to reduce congestion at the current crossing.

A study of potential sites for a new crossing of the Chesapeake Bay initially included 14 options. Corridors 6-8, highlighted in yellow, remain under consideration.

Phase 2 looked in more detail at corridors 5-9 and further reduced the alternatives to Corridors 6, 7, and 8.

Corridor 7 is where the existing Bay Bridge spans are located.

Corridor 6 would be north of the current bridges, with the western end located east of Pasadena in Anne Arundel County and the eastern side connecting near Rock Hall in Kent County before crossing the Chester River into Queen Anne’s County and connecting with Route 213 south of Centreville.

Corridor 8 would be south of the current bridges, with the western end located south of Annapolis. The bridge would pass south of Kent Island, connecting with Talbot County and ultimately to U.S. Route 50 north of Easton.

The detailed traffic analysis for the five remaining corridors showed “Corridor 5 would not provide an acceptable level of flexibility for incident diversion and would cause potentially major indirect effects on the Eastern Shore. Corridor 9 would also require substantial additional travel time for incident diversion and would result in unreasonably long duration of queues on summer weekends at the existing crossing (six hours with queues of one mile or greater on non-summer weekdays),” according to the report. And both Corridors 5 and 9 would do little to improve congestion at the current crossing based on traffic projections for 2040.

Cost and environmental impacts also are factors and Corridor 7, with the shortest overall crossing, would likely cost the least and “would likely result in fewer overall direct impacts.”

“While Corridors 6, 7, and 8 are all recommended to be carried forward for further evaluation, the screening results show that Corridor 7 has advantages over Corridors 6 and 8,” according to the report. “The advantages of Corridor 7 include better congestion relief at the existing Bay Bridge, more effective reduction of duration of unacceptable LOS (level of service), more effective backup reduction at the Bay Bridge, the best diversion route, and better compatibility with existing land-use patterns likely resulting in fewer indirect effects.”

Read the full report here:

BCS Alternatives Report

Building Trust with Neighbors in Kent County

July 23, 2020 by Spy Desk 1 Comment

Miss Mildred and her son, Marty, a hospice worker.

When Rebuilding Together Kent County’s Executive Director, Wayne Rickert, joined the organization in April of 2019, he had a vision that seemed all out-of-proportion to its historical budget. Since that time, he has worked tirelessly to make reality conform to his dream and it’s benefiting our neighbors here in Kent County. Although Rebuilding Together Kent County had applied for and received funds from the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust (MAHT) in previous years, the amount had not exceeded $10,000 per year.Last summer, the organization applied for the maximum grant, $75,000…and got it!

Since receiving the official paperwork from MAHT last December, Wayne and his team have worked diligently to identify home repair and modification projects that match the terms set out in the grant application. In addition to augmenting the USDA roof initiative as reported last month, these funds have been used to replace six additional roofs, install new gutters and downspouts on two homes, and repair extensive damage for a woman whose pipes burst two years ago. In all, 15 area homeowners and their families are safer at home!

Miss Mildred is a perfect example of exactly why this organization exists. Nearly 80 years old and living alone, she worked hard her whole life, both at the Campbell’s Soup poultry processing plant and as a mother to her son Marty. She now relies on her limited social security benefit and small pension to pay bills each month. Although she was able to have the broken pipes repaired, Miss Mildred had no financial cushion to address the costly water damage which created a gaping hole in her kitchen floor and rendered a bathroom unusable. With funds from MAHT, Rebuilding Together Kent County was able to hire local contractor, Doug Marker of Jack of All Trades, to replace floors and cabinets, as well as install appliances donated from Heron Point of Chestertown. While he was there, he also rebuilt her aging front porch, ensuring she can get in and out of her home safely.

The organization also contracted M.L. Hood Trucking of Centreville to grade and gravel a new driveway. Now vehicles can drive right up to the house, saving precious minutes should a medical emergency arise in the future. The team at Rebuilding Together Kent County hopes these efforts will allow Miss Mildred to enjoy her well-deserved retirement, relieving stress and reducing the risk of injury.

Grateful that area neighbors trust them in their homes, Rebuilding Together Kent County is currently identifying the next round of home repair projects from applications received by last week’s deadline. To become involved with Rebuilding Together Kent County, visit their website, RebuildingTogetherKCMD.org, or call 410.708.9936.

Rebuilding Together Kent County is a nonprofit dedicated to repairing homes, revitalizing communities, and rebuilding lives. They put together donated building materials, gifts of money, contract labor, and countless hours of skilled and unskilled volunteer time to repair and rehabilitate the houses of low-income homeowners who are elderly, disabled and/or have families with children. All work is done at no cost to the homeowner. Learn more at RebuildingTogetherKCMD.org.

Kent County Voters Who Cannot Vote by Mail Can Cast Their Ballots at Designated Locations

May 31, 2020 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

While the majority of eligible Maryland voters are expected to vote by mail in the June 2 primary election, those who cannot vote by mail can either submit completed ballots at designated ballot drop-off locations or vote in-person at select locations on June 2.

In Kent County, eligible voters may submit ballots at the following ballot drop-off locations until 8 p.m. on June 2:

– Kent County Public Library, 408 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620
– Kent County Board of Elections, 135 Dixon Drive, Chestertown, MD 21620

Kent County residents who prefer to vote in-person on June 2 may do so between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the following locations:

– Kent County Public Library, 408 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, voting for the June 2 primary will be conducted primarily by mail. The pandemic also resulted in the date of the Primary being postponed from April 28.

Mail-in ballots for the June 2 primary have been sent by U.S. Postal Service to all eligible state voters at addresses provided to the Maryland State Board of Elections. While the mail-in ballots received by voters display the original Primary date of April 28, the ballots are in fact valid for the June 2 election. Voters should be aware these are official ballots that will record actual votes. They are not sample ballots.

The return ballot must be postmarked no later than June 2 but can be mailed at any time before election day. Voters should sign only the oath on the outside of the envelope but not the ballot itself.

Same-day registration will be available for eligible voters who choose to vote in-person on June 2; however, the Maryland State Board of Elections strongly encourages all voters who can cast their ballots by mail to do so. Voting by mail is safe, secure and free. No postage is required to vote by mail. Voters simply fill out their ballot, sign the oath on the envelope and place it back in the mail.

Votes cast by mail remain secret. The same technology and equipment used for in-person voting is utilized to count mail-in ballots. The equipment is never connected to the Internet or any other database.

The Maryland State Board of Elections is committed to educating voters on the changes made to the election procedures due to the novel coronavirus epidemic. These changes have been made to ensure voters can exercise their fundamental right to vote while also safeguarding the public’s health during this pandemic.

For more information about this election, please visit www.elections.maryland.gov or contact the State Board at 1-800-222-8683.

COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Kent County

May 19, 2020 by Spy Desk 2 Comments

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