Maryland 2020 Election Results

Maryland held no regularly scheduled state elections in 2020, but voters decided 2 statewide ballot measures.

Highlights

• Voters approved both measures, shifting fiscal power in Annapolis toward the General Assembly and clearing the way for legal sports wagering.
• Question 1, which voters overwhelmingly approved, amended the state constitution to let legislators add to, shift, or reduce items in the governor's proposed budget, as long as total spending stays within the governor's figure. Until then, lawmakers could only cut from the budget, a limit WTOP called unique in the nation. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) had opposed it as a power grab. The change was set to take effect only after he left office, and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) said lawmakers would spend the next two years preparing for the fiscal 2024 budget.
• Question 2 authorized sports and event wagering at licensed facilities but left the key details to lawmakers, including where bets could be placed and on which events. Casino operators began eyeing sportsbook licenses right after the vote, and early debate in the 2021 session centered on how to distribute licenses. In May 2021 Hogan signed the framework lawmakers wrote to put it into effect.

Ballot measures