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The General Election is on Tuesday, November 8 and polls are open from 7am to 8pm. You can locate your polling place here. As we are now used to, however, there are multiple other ways to participate in the election. You can request a mail-in ballot by November 1 here. If you do not want to mail that ballot back, you can put it in one of the drop boxes. A complete list of locations is available here but in District 16 there are drop boxes at every public high school, the Montgomery County Conference Center (Marriott Bethesda North), and the Friendship Heights Village Center. Just outside the district, there is a drop box at the Lawton Center, as well as nearby high schools. Early voting will also be available from Thursday, October 27 to Thursday, November 3 from 7am to 8pm. You can vote at any early voting site in Montgomery County and the complete list is here. The early voting sites closest to District 16 are the Lawton Center, the Potomac Community Center, and the Executive Office Building in Rockville. If you want to help launch me into those next four years, please consider contributing here. BALLOT QUESTIONS On your ballot will be several ballot questions that I want to provide information on. Question 1: A yes vote would approve the renaming of the Maryland Court of Appeals and Court of Special Appeals as the Supreme Court of Maryland and the Maryland Appellate Court. As an attorney, I am personally comfortable with the current names but I am voting YES because these names will bring us in line with most state court systems and make more sense to members of the public. Question 2: A yes vote would approve a somewhat technical correction to the district residency rules for Maryland state legislators. I am voting YES. Question 3: A yes vote would permit an increase in the threshold of a jury trial of the amount in controversy from $15,000 to $25,000. I appreciate that some are concerned that this could reduce access to justice, but the $15,000 threshold is long-standing and, over time, such dollar amounts should be adjusted upward to reflect their current value. I am voting YES. Question 4: A yes vote would permit an individual who is at least 21 years old to use and possess cannabis, subject to future licensing and taxation legislation by the Maryland General Assembly. This past year, we did pass an initial implementation bill (https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/legislation/details/hb0837?ys=2022rs) that addresses some aspects of recreational cannabis including home grow, expunging prior records related to cannabis, and what levels of possession would be permissible. I am voting YES. Question 5: A yes vote would alter Howard County's Orphans Court system--these courts hear contested matters regarding a decedent’s estate, including validity of wills and legal questions involving transfers of property--by having the county's Circuit Court judges take over this role, similar to the process in Montgomery County. Because the Howard County Delegation supported this change, I am voting YES. Question A is a local ballot question that would include the County Council in the process of removing the County Attorney. I am voting YES. TRANSPORTATION UPDATE Last week, the Maryland Department of Transportation visited Montgomery County for their annual presentation of the draft Consolidated Transportation Program, which can be accessed here. Here is an excerpt of me discussing District 16-specific priorities and projects. Here is an excerpt of me discussing countywide transportation issues. And here is a video of the entire meeting. ---- On October 24 at 7:00pm, the District 16 Team and Councilman Friedson will be convening state and local agencies to discuss the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Little Falls Parkway. You can RSVP for the event here.  
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January 2023
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