Montgomery County election board certifies 2025 primary results

The Montgomery County Election Board on Jan. 9 voted to certify the results of the May 2025 primary election, as recommended by the county’s director of elections.

Frank Dean, Montgomery County’s director of elections, told the board the results were posted last Tuesday, the five-day challenge period had passed and “no challenges have been filed as of this morning.” He asked the board to certify the results under the election code; a board member moved to do so and another seconded the motion. The motion passed with ayes.

The certification followed a briefing from Dean on how the office handled this cycle’s counting. He said the office recorded about 50,000 write-in votes counted across roughly 25,000 ballots, more than double the write-ins the office tabulated in 2021. “In 2021, we tabulated approximately 20,000 write-ins,” Dean said. He told the board that whereas the 2021 tabulation required roughly three weeks of 12-hour days, the 2025 primary processing took about eight working days, including one weekend, with fewer staff and no 12-hour shifts.

Board members asked about turnout and candidate counts. Dean reported about 130,000 total voters this primary, compared with roughly 150,000 four years earlier. He said there were about 1,500 candidates on the ballots this cycle and that roughly half will move on to the November contests, including many school board races.

Board members had no public comments to note and approved minutes from prior meetings before the certification vote. Dean noted there will be additional administrative work ahead as candidates confirm filing statuses and the elections office prepares for the November general election.

No legal challenges to the certified results had been filed on the day of the meeting, according to Dean.