Your Montgomery County ballot

Will Jawando (D)

Lives in Ashton. Occupation: Montgomery County Councilmember At-large. Political experience: Montgomery County Council At-large member (2018–present); former council vice president; chair of Education & Culture Committee; associate director, Office of Public Engagement in the Obama White House and senior adviser, U.S. Department of Education (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Esther Wells (R)

Esther Wells ran for election to the Montgomery County Board of Education to represent District 1 in Maryland. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. Esther Wells was born in Arima, Trinidad.

Campaign site (listed by Ballotpedia)Campaign FacebookCampaign XLinkedIn

Positions, with sources (3)
Background & approach: “I am a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Maryland for over 12 years. I have a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master's In Taxation.”
Campaign priorities: “I am running to provide needed accountability to the $3B budget, ensure oversight of spending is in the best interest of the community, and return MCPS to excellence and a system where all students feel welcome.”
Policy focus: “I would work towards ensuring that our system is fiscally healthy to provide needed programs & expand services such as universal pre-K, tutoring & other programs to help close the academic achievement gap.”
OfficeCandidates
County Council At Large
Vote for 4
Marc Elrich (D), Scott Evan Goldberg (D), Laurie-Anne Sayles (D), Karla Silvestre (D), Sherwin Wells (R)
County Council, District 1
Julie Yang (D)

Julie Yang is a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education in Maryland, representing District 3. She assumed office on December 1, 2022. Her current term ends on December 1, 2026.

Campaign site (listed by Ballotpedia)Campaign FacebookCampaign XLinkedIn

Reardon "Sully" Sullivan (R)

Lives in Bethesda. Occupation: CEO/owner, WFT Engineering Inc. Political experience: chairman, Montgomery County Republican Party (MCGOP); chairman, term limits ballot petition; chairman, Stop the Spend ballot petition; candidate for county executive, 2022; MCGOP Central Committee (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

County Council, District 2
Marilyn Balcombe (D)

Lives in Germantown. Occupation: Member, Montgomery County Council. Political experience: County Councilmember, District 2, since 2022; candidate for at-large Montgomery County Council seat, 2018 (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Arian Borghei (R)

Lives in Germantown. Occupation: Student at Hood College/ political science major, Former student from MCPS Graduated in 2026 from Magruder High School. Current County Council District 2 candidate. Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Positions, with sources (1)
Top issue: “Affordability and responsible growth are among the most important issues facing District 2. I will fight to protect taxpayers, oppose unnecessary tax increases, and demand accountability for every dollar spent.” (Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire))

Being checked: Bethesda Magazine listed him as a write-in in the primary; the state lists him as the Republican nominee for November.

Joseph Abdalla (Other Candidates)
County Council, District 3
Jud Ashman (D)

Lives in Gaithersburg. Occupation: Mayor, Gaithersburg; president and owner, Web Mobile Image LLC. Political experience: mayor of Gaithersburg from 2014 – present; Gaithersburg City Council from 2007 to 2014 (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Ricky Fai Mui (R)

Ricky Fai Mui ran for election to the Montgomery County Board of Education to represent District 2 in Maryland. He lost in the primary on May 14, 2024. Ricky Fai Mui was born in Sarasota, Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1997 to 2013.

Campaign site (listed by Ballotpedia)Campaign FacebookCampaign XLinkedInLinkedIn

Positions, with sources (3)
Background & approach: “My name is Rick Mui. I am a former naval officer, and an industry professional, with a decade of experience in strategic business planning, logistics management, and financial management.”
Campaign priorities: “Develop and implement policies that Respects our MCPS teachers. Offer continuous education, so our teachers can improve either breadth or depth of knowledge, which allows for both personal and professional growth.”
Policy focus: “I find the public policy process fascinating! The culmination of identifying the needs and operating parameters; the selection of leaders to guide and refined, and then the.”
County Council, District 5
Kristin Mink (D)

Lives in Four Corners/Silver Spring. Occupation: councilmember, District 5, Montgomery County Council. Political experience: current Montgomery County Councilmember (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Josephine Salazar (R)
County Council, District 6
Natali Fani-González (D)

Lives in Wheaton. Occupation: Montgomery County Council District 6 councilmember; council president. Political experience: Current councilmember (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Positions, with sources (1)
Top issue: “Like households across our country, many Montgomery County residents are struggling to make ends meet given the state of our economy. Household budgets aren’t keeping pace with the ever-expanding costs for energy, food, healthcare, rent and more.” (Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire))
Louella Tham (R)
County Council, District 7
Dawn Luedtke (D)

Lives in Ashton. Occupation: Montgomery County Councilmember, District 7. Political experience: Elected to Montgomery County Council District 7 in 2022 (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Positions, with sources (1)
Top issue: “It is too expensive to live in many parts of Montgomery County. I have strongly supported policies to increase housing in order to take on the housing shortage that has caused the median home price and average rent to surge.” (Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire))
Harold Maldonado (R)

Lives in Derwood. Occupation: economic security consultant. Political experience: geopolitical and political analyst for the federal government (self-reported to Bethesda Magazine). Source: Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Today 2026 Voters Guide (candidate questionnaire)

Campaign site (listed in Bethesda Magazine questionnaire)

Register of WillsBarbara Ebel (D) vs. T. Dolores Reyes (R)
Board of Education At LargeBrenda M. Diaz (Non-Partisan) vs. Omar Lazo (Non-Partisan)
Board of Education, District 3Sally A. McCarthy (Non-Partisan) vs. Cassandra "Cassi" Sung (Non-Partisan)

Bios and links are shown for 12 of 32 candidates so far; the others are not on Vote Book yet. Sources are shown under each profile. Spot an error? Tell us · All Maryland counties

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