Charles County will remain a “code home rule” commissioner county, after voters rejected a ballot measure to form a two-branch charter government.

Voters rejected a proposed charter government structure for Charles County, a process authorized under the Maryland Constitution, and will retain their County Commissioner government structure. The measure was defeated by a nearly 56-44 margin, through published results received so far. This marks the second time that Charles County voters have spurned a proposed move to charter government.

Additional background on the charter proposal and debate was recently run on the Maryland Matters site:

But nothing is simple with the politics in Charles County, a jurisdiction that has seen enormous growth and equally consequential demographic changes over the past two decades ― and is now the most affluent majority-Black jurisdiction in the United States.

Powerful forces have lined up to oppose the charter amendment. Race relations are inevitably part of the debate. And a fissure on the county commission over day-to-day management of the county has come into play as voters consider whether to shake up the local government.

The county will remain under limited “home rule” powers adopted through a statutory means – commonly referred to as “code home rule.” That nominally limits the ability of the General Assembly to legislate single-county matters of authority or powers, though those limitations are blunted by its status as the only current code home rule county in the Southern Maryland region (as the State may pass laws affecting all the code home rule counties in a given region).

The proposed Charter language is available online, and spelled out a Council-Executive form of governance, with those newly created offices to be established and elected in 2026 for the first time. One area of difference among the many Maryland county charters is the balanced role of the Council and Executive in adopting a final county budget. The proposed Charles County charter had included a structure that substantially mirrors the current fiscal structure between the Maryland Governor and General Assembly.

Charles County election results are available on the Maryland State Board of Elections site.

MACo’s election coverage and analysis rely on unofficial results published by the State Board of Elections. Official results will follow after a full accounting of pending votes. MACo advises readers that any close unofficial results are subject to realignment in the days ahead.