Initial ballot counts have incumbent Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judges Pamela Alban, Elizabeth Morris, Rob Thompson and Richard Trunnell as leading the primary race likely earning them 15-year terms. 

The incumbents are being challenged by former Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams and private practice lawyer Annette DeCesaris. At the publishing of this blog post, the Republican race has Adams in fifth place and DeCesaris in sixth place, while the Democratic race has DeCesaris in fifth place and Adams in sixth.

The Capital Gazette reports on the election process for the judges:

If Republicans and Democrats both have the same top four candidates after the primary, those candidates automatically win, and the race won’t be listed on the ballot in November.

In Maryland, the governor appoints Circuit Court judges, who must stand for election to a 15-year term on the next statewide ballot. Challengers can file to unseat the recently appointed judges.

Vote totals and percentages in this article are based on unofficial results of the Maryland State Board of Elections as of 11:00 am Wednesday. Official results will follow. Due to COVID-19, few polling places were open and mail-in voting was strongly encouraged. Readers are advised that unofficial results are subject to realignment in the days ahead and official results will follow after a full accounting of pending ballots.