Wayne Shewell

🚨 MARYLAND’S UNAFFILIATED VOTERS ARE JUST 1,919 AWAY FROM OVERTAKING REPUBLICANS — A MAJOR POLITICAL SHIFT Maryland’s political landscape is changing, and neither major party should ignore the numbers. According to October 2026 voter registration data from the Maryland State Board of Elections: ▪️ DEMOCRATS: Approximately 2.24 million active voters. ▪️ REPUBLICANS: 1,014,876 voters. ▪️ UNAFFILIATED: 1,012,957 voters. Since the 2022 gubernatorial election, unaffiliated registration has surged by approximately 167,000 voters, while Republicans have added only 14,000. Four years ago, Republicans held a 155,000-voter advantage over unaffiliated Marylanders. Today, that gap has virtually disappeared. Unaffiliated voters already outnumber Republicans in Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard and Charles counties, plus Baltimore City. And Democrats aren’t immune to the trend. Their registration has fallen in 20 of Maryland’s 24 voting jurisdictions since 2022. MDBayNews examined this shift in August, when unaffiliated voters trailed Republicans by nearly 17,000. Just three months later, the gap is below 2,000. Maryland’s growing unaffiliated electorate represents a significant challenge to traditional party politics. But there’s a catch: Most unaffiliated voters cannot participate in Maryland’s Democratic or Republican primaries. Nearly one million Maryland voters are choosing neither major party. Is Annapolis prepared to reconsider a primary system that largely excludes them?