About 24 percent of registered Democrats in Montgomery County voted in June’s primary, a discouraging number in a year with three Democratic gubernatorial candidates and a number of hotly contested state and county contests.
Kevin Walling, the Bethesda resident who at one time sought election in one of those state races, instead ran for the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee and was later elected chair.
The political consultant said the paltry turnout was a “wake up call” for local Democrats. Now, the Central Committee is embarking on a countywide voter registration week from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 to shore up support for the Democratic winners as they take on Republican opponents in November.
There have been many theories for the apparent lack of engagement in local politics. Walling said the predominantly Democratic status of Montgomery County provides challenges, even while it means local Democratic candidates are favorites in contested November races.
“It’s a blessing as party chair to not have serious Republican competition on the local level, for our state delegation or the Council, but it’s also a curse to the party as well in terms of how do we get people to stay engaged,” Walling said. “We hear all the time, ‘My vote doesn’t matter.’
To register more Democrats, Walling and the MCDCC are appealing to local organizations and clubs to hold voter registration activities.
Walling dropped out of the District 16 House of Delegates race earlier this year to run for the Central Committee, which is the official county arm of the state’s Democratic party. One of its main priorities for the 60 days leading up to the Nov. 4 gubernatorial election is ensuring big margins of victory in Montgomery County for statewide Democratic candidates Anthony Brown and Brian Frosh.
“Our statewide candidates are looking to Montgomery County to be that beachhead, that foundation to their campaigns,” Walling said.
Walling said he hopes the MCDCC can reach out to more than just the “normal political groups” to push its message.
“We don’t have specific number goals. What we want to see is engagement in diverse communities and with people in communities where we haven’t really had a presence,” Walling said. “I think that is when we will be able to quantify success.”
