Fair Election Fund: Nearly $350,000 in matches paid; $2.3 million remains as commissioners note low uptake

Betsy Keim of the Office of Law told the Baltimore County Fair Election Fund Commission on June 8 that “so far, this fund has made nearly $350,000 in match payments and has over $2,300,000 left in the fund balance.” The payments have gone mostly to four candidates — one running for county executive and three county council hopefuls — and one additional District 2 candidate is scheduled to receive funds soon; a District 5 candidate has no primary opponent and will be eligible in the general election.

Commissioners pressed staff on why demand for matching funds was lower than anticipated. The chair asked whether the commission had estimated expected expenditures or eligible candidate counts before the cycle; Keim said it was difficult to predict this year because two new county council seats and an open county executive race made the 2026 cycle “unique.” She also cited this being an early cycle for the program and noted software updates and candidate learning curves likely affected how many campaigns sought the match.

The discussion highlighted two main points: the fund remains substantially funded with roughly $2.3 million available, and commission members want better information on how candidates learned about the program to improve outreach before the next cycle. Commissioner (identified later in the meeting as Stephanie) asked whether the commission could obtain information on “how the people that utilize the funding heard about it,” and Keim said she would contact the Office of Voting/Fair Election team to determine whether that data can be provided and would follow up.

Commissioners did not take formal action on allocation or outreach at the meeting; they noted the commission is required to meet twice yearly after the primary and will make recommendations on improvements at the end of the cycle.