Snowstorm Could Freeze Out Some Would-Be Candidates

By Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters

February 23, 2026

Candidates hoping to file for the 2026 election risk being frozen out by a winter storm that blanketed the state in snow, closing schools and leading to an emergency declaration.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) declared state offices closed a little after 7 p.m. Sunday, citing the potential for hazardous travel conditions, power outages and blizzard warnings in some areas of the state, before backing up an hour later and declaring the state would be open, but on a liberal leave policy.

The announcement came with just over 48 hours left before a key filing deadline for the 2026 elections — 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“If government offices are open, we’ll be open,” Jared DeMarinis, the state’s election director, said over the weekend.

Candidates who waited — either for pragmatic reasons, procrastination or electoral drama — have added to their challenges for filing on one of the remaining two days.

By not closing the government Monday, Moore salvaged one of those two days. A closure would have prevented candidates from filing and would not have been subject to a makeup. But candidates who waited will now have to battle the elements to reach the state Board of Elections office in Annapolis, where all but candidates for local office have to physically present themselves to register.

Under a liberal leave scenario, candidates will most likely experience longer lines to file and the remote possibility of being unable to file if election officials are unable to staff offices.

Candidates could get a reprieve if government offices are declared closed Tuesday. But even then it is not guaranteed.

In order to get an extra day to file, the governor would have to declare a state of emergency, and then declare state offices closed. The countdown to the filing deadline would start running again when state offices reopen.

Ironically, Moore, who is expected to seek re-election this fall, is one of the candidates who has yet to file. That was supposed to happen this week.

“Governor Moore intends to file for reelection as soon as the Maryland State Board of Elections is open for business,” a Moore campaign spokesperson said in a text Sunday.