How Southern Maryland Voted on 3 Constitutional Amendments

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland voters approved all three constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot, but Southern Maryland did not speak with one voice. Calvert and St. Mary’s voters rejected the congressional redistricting amendment and nearly turned down a second, while Charles approved all three by margins larger than the state’s.

The figures come from unofficial statewide results and county pages from the Maryland State Board of Elections, last refreshed at 9:21 a.m. Wednesday. Provisional ballots and some mail-in ballots remain to be counted.

Question 1: Funding state worker contracts

Question 1, the Arbitration Reform for State Employees Act of 2026, requires the governor’s proposed budget to include the money needed to carry out collective bargaining agreements with state employees, including terms set by a neutral decision-maker, according to the official question text.

It was the least divisive of the three locally. Charles approved it 44,462 to 12,419. Calvert said yes 19,252 to 12,138, and St. Mary’s 22,087 to 13,245. Statewide, it passed with 1,303,235 votes in favor.

Question 2: A squeaker in Calvert

Question 2 lets the Commission on Judicial Disabilities fill seats temporarily when a member is recused, disqualified or reaches the end of a term without a replacement. The chair may recall a former member, or the governor, at the chair’s request, may appoint a temporary substitute or extend a member’s term, according to the question text.

Calvert approved it by 254 votes, 16,237 to 15,983, according to the Calvert results. In-person voters there opposed it: Election Day ballots ran 8,949 against to 7,805 for. Mail-in ballots, which favored it 2,007 to 783, carried it over the line. St. Mary’s approved it by 690 votes, 17,838 to 17,148. Charles backed it 39,758 to 18,027.

Question 3: Calvert and St. Mary’s say no

Question 3 drew the sharpest split. The amendment limits certain constitutional districting requirements to state Senate and House of Delegates districts, allows the General Assembly to give the Supreme Court of Maryland original jurisdiction to review the state’s congressional map, and states that nothing in the Maryland Constitution sets criteria for congressional district boundaries, according to the official text.

St. Mary’s voted it down 21,020 to 14,421, according to the St. Mary’s results, and Calvert rejected it 18,766 to 14,304. Charles approved it 40,095 to 18,466, per the Charles results. Statewide it passed 1,080,354 to 718,687, the narrowest of the three at 60.1%.

Because constitutional amendments are decided by the statewide vote, all three take effect regardless of how individual counties voted once the results are certified.

The amendment votes tracked the region’s partisan divide. Calvert and St. Mary’s favored Republicans in the races for governor, Congress and county commissioner, while Charles backed Democrats, as the Chronicle’s county roundups for Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s show.

Counting continues this month. St. Mary’s scheduled a mail-in canvass for Nov. 5, a provisional ballot canvass for Nov. 12 and a final canvass Nov. 13, according to a county release.