Skip to main content

Maryland's Primaries

Partisan Primary Types​

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Presidential PrimariesState PrimariesPresidential PrimariesState Primaries
closed closed closed closed

Presidential and State Primaries Scheduling​

Consolidated Primaries: Yes

Maryland is one of the states that have merged their presidential and state primaries. On a Presidential Election year, presidential primaries and State primaries are scheduled to run on the same date.

Maryland is a closed primary state.The State law gives political parties the power to choose whether to hold open or closed primaries. Any changes must be submitted to the State Board of Elections six months before the primary.

Voting In Primaries​

  • Both parties have always elected to hold closed primaries, therefore, voters must affiliate with a party in order to vote in that party's primary. Generally, you must be registered with either the Democratic or Republican Party to vote in the primary election. If there are non-partisan offices that are elected in a primary election (i.e., school board), any voter can vote for these offices.

Delegates and Presidential Primaries​

The presidential primary process involves selecting delegates who will represent the state at the party's national convention. Delegates selected from the primary elections attend the party's national convention, where they officially nominate the presidential candidate. The candidate with the majority of delegates becomes the party's nominee for the presidential election. Candidates Ballot access rules vary depending on the candidate’s political party.

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.
104 81 23 7 37 37 34

Democratic Party Primary Delegates Process​

Democratic Party's Delegates Allocation​

Maryland Democratic Party has a total of 102 Delegate Votes and 7 Alternate Delegates. 81 of the 102 delegates are pledeged and the remaining 21 are unpledged. The party will use a proportional representation system based on the results of the Presidential Primary Election for apportioning pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and
  • Please check with the State Democratic party for further requirements.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 53
  • At-large Delegates: 17
  • Pledged PLEOs Delegates: 11
  • Automatic Delegates - Unpledged PLEOs: 23
  • Alternate Delegates: 7

Automatic Delegates (Unpledged PLEOs - Super Delegates) Breakdown​

  • DNC Members: 11
  • Dem. Members of Congress: 9
  • Dem. Gorvernors: 1
  • Distinguished Party Leaders: 2

Republican Party Primary Delegates Process​

Republican Party's Delegates Allocation​

The Republican party will send a total of 37 Delegate Votes and 34 Alternate Delegates to the 2024 RNC national convention. 37 Delegate Votes (24 District-level delegates, 10 At-Large, and 3 RNC delegates).

All 37 of Maryland's delegates(Winner-Take-All) to the Republican National Convention are allocated to presidential contenders in Maryland Presidential Primary

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and
  • Please check with the State Republican party for additional requirements.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 24
  • At-large Delegates: 10
  • RNC Delegates: 3
  • Alternate Delegates: 34

NOTES​

This page contains primary election rules and Presidential Primary delegates allocation information on elections occurring across the country

Primary voting rules and delegate allocation apply to statewide partisan primary elections in most cases. However, check with your Town Clerk for primary voting guide as they may vary by town and political party.Please be advised that the information provided on this site is updated regularly but is subject to scheduling changes at the local level.

The information provided on the page was validated using the following resourses: