Frederick County

Frederick County elections director Stuart Harvey is revising previous estimates, predicting upwards of 88 percent voter turnout. In response, the county has added 300 election judges and 85 electronic poll books, according to the The Frederick News-Post.  

There are about 135,000 registered voters in Frederick County, which has hired and trained about 950 election judges with 235 electronic poll books.

Voter turnout is also exceeding expectations in Washington County, according to the Herald-Mail.  However, voting place operators report that people are moving through the polls as a "brisk pace," despite the big turnout numbers.

The Frederick Board of County Commissioners voted 4-to-1 on Tuesday to implement a county wide hiring freeze, according to The Gazette.

Frederick County is expecting a $6 million revenue shortfall, or 1.3 percent of the $446 million dollar budget, according to the Gazette. Michael Gastley, the county's budget officer, suggested the county should restrain from filling 188 vacant positions, which could save the county $3 million.

The Frederick County Commission is set to consider a hiring freeze next week to combat the county's $7 million budget shortfall, according to The Frederick News-Post.

The freeze is set to be discussed at a budget presentation on Tuesday and is expected to save the county $3 million. The county currently has approximately 118 vacant positions and commissioners are expected to target non-essential services, reports the News-Post.

Less than a week after Del. Rick Weldon (I-Frederick) announced he would be leaving the Republican Party and registering as an independent, Alderman C. Paul Smith (R-Frederick) says he wants Weldon to step down as chair of the Frederick County legislative delegation.

Smith first made the call in a letter to the Frederick County Republican Central Committee, urging them to take a strong stance on the issue.

"This action is in fact a repudiation of the Republican Party, and thus it would be a colossal act of self-destruction for the Republican Party if the County's delegation were to retain Rick as its chairman in the future," wrote Smith in an email to the Central Committee.

The Frederick County Republican Central Committee appointed two new members on Monday, according to The Frederick News-Post.

Richard Cheney and Bill Shreve will replace Tim Brooks and Bill Ashton, who were dismissed by the state's executive committee after failing to attend over three state conventions.