Montgomery County voters will choose their next county executive on Tuesday, Nov. 3, picking between Democrat Will Jawando and Republican Esther Wells to replace term-limited Marc Elrich.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., according to Fox 5. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and can also be dropped in an official drop box or delivered to a local board of elections by 8 p.m. that day. The Montgomery County Board of Elections can be reached at 240-777-8500 or at 777vote.org.

Results were not yet available as of Monday, Nov. 2.

What's at stake

The county executive proposes the county budget and oversees services and agencies including police, public works and planning, according to The Banner's voter guide. The position carries a four-year term.

Elrich, a Democrat, is barred by term limits from seeking a third term, Fox 5 reported after the June primary.

Democrats hold a large registration advantage. About 58% of registered voters in Montgomery County are Democrats, according to the state board of elections' latest voter registration report, as The Banner reported. In the June 23 primary, roughly 131,000 Democrats cast ballots compared to about 11,300 Republicans, according to official state results.

In Potomac, Council member Andrew Friedson led the Democratic primary vote, according to The Banner's primary night coverage. Jawando ran strongest in Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Wheaton.

The candidates

Will Jawando, 43, is an at-large County Council member first elected in 2018. He chaired the council's Education and Culture Committee and served as its vice president in 2025, according to The Banner. Before entering politics, he worked as a civil rights attorney and served in the Obama White House as associate director of public engagement, WJLA reported. He lives in Silver Spring.

Esther Wells, 39, is a certified public accountant and president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League. She immigrated to the United States from Trinidad in 1995 and attended Montgomery County Public Schools, according to WJLA. She earned an accounting degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a master's in taxation from Northeastern University. She lives in Montgomery Village.

Wells said she switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 2018, according to The Banner.

Where they differ

The race splits along taxes, housing, schools and data centers.

Jawando campaigns on affordable housing, public education and economic opportunity, according to WJLA. He supports a more graduated income tax, wants the state legislature to let the county set different property tax rates for commercial and residential properties, and proposes directing public resources toward nonprofit housing developers.

Wells emphasizes lower taxes, tighter spending and government accountability. She says the county should review how money is spent before increasing school funding and would fund Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) at the state-mandated maintenance-of-effort level, according to WJLA.

On data centers, a topic the West Montgomery County Citizens Association has flagged as a top Potomac concern, the County Council approved an 18-month building-permit moratorium in July 2026. Jawando said he supports conditions on future data center development. "What we need to do is we need to make sure it's on our terms and it has a community benefit," he told WJLA. Wells pointed to Loudoun County, Virginia, as an example of potential tax revenue but said the county should evaluate costs and benefits first.

Wells criticized Jawando for not participating in a general election debate, according to WJLA. Jawando has not debated Wells ahead of the general election, The Banner reported.

How to follow results

The Maryland State Board of Elections posts results on election night. The official primary results page for Montgomery County is hosted at elections.maryland.gov; a general election results page is expected at the same domain once polls close.