Maryland Voters Head To Polls For Tuesday's Primary

Maryland voters return to the voting booths Tuesday, and while most of the national attention will be on the GOP presidential race, there are also some important contests for federal offices.

Redistricting in Maryland has caused a reshuffling of the state's congressional districts, which means incumbent House members now have to introduce themselves to new swaths of voters.

Democratic resident Mark Rother says even with the new map, the primary contests have been going on under the radar.

"I've only seen two [political] signs so far in Maryland," says Rother. "They were both outside one of these early voting precincts, but if you go in D.C., you see hundreds of signs. It seems much more competitive there."

One of the more active contests is for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) who's facing eight challengers, though only state Sen. Anthony Muse is mounting a significant challenge. While experts anticipate an easy Cardin win, low voter turnout could help Muse and his grassroots campaign. That's why Maryland voter Matt Stegman says he's eager to participate in the contest.

"Especially when there aren't a lot of people paying attention, it makes it even more important, because you have a disproportionate influence," says Stegman.

The polls open in Maryland on Tuesday morning.

We learned about the subject of this story through WAMU's Public Insight Network. Learn more about the Public Insight Network.