Monday, February 2, 2026
With less than 30 days left to file for candidacy, only two of the seven Worcester County Commissioner seats are competitive, and only District 2 has candidates registered as a Democrat. No independent, Green Party or Libertarian candidate has registered to run for an elected office. Only one of the four Board of Education seats on the ballot have a candidate running, as of publication.
Anyone interested in running in the November, 2016 election cycle must file with the Worcester County Board of Elections no later than February 24.
For detailed information, visit the Maryland Board of Elections web site. Additional links are provided at the end of this article.
All 7 Commissioner Seats on the Ballot
Worcesters’ seven magisterial districts are all elected every four years. There are no staggered terms on the County Commission.
Candidates who have filed as of today:
District 1: (Pocomoke City (partial), Stockton, Girdletree, Public Landing and Snow Hill, partial)
Shaun W. Shockley (R)
Wayne A. Taylor (R)
District 2: (Berlin (partial), Newark (partial), Snow Hill (partial), Pocomoke (partial))
Roxie V. Dennis (D)
Diana Purnell (D) – incumbent
District 3: (Sinepuxent/Assateague, West OC, Berlin (partial))
Eric Fiori (R) – incumbent
District 4: (Snow Hill (partial), Newark, Berlin (partial))
Theodore “Ted” Elder (R) – incumbent
Steve Green (R)
District 5: (Ocean Pines)
Chip Bertino (R) – incumbent
Joe Schanno (R) web site link
District 6: (Bishopville)
Lou H. Taylor (R)
District 7: (Ocean City)
Joe Mitrecic (R) – incumbent
Any seat contested by more than one member of a political party will go through a primary election scheduled for in-person voting on June 23 county-wide. (Early voting will also be available June 11-18 from 7 am – 8 pm.) Any voter registered as a member of a party (Republican or Democrat) can vote in that party’s primary.
Four of the current Commissioners have served three terms, having first been elected in 2014: Diana Purnell (Dist. 2), Ted Elder (Dist. 4), Chip Bertino (Dist. 5) and Joe Mitrecic (Dist. 7). District 1 Commissioner Karyn Abbott and District 3 Commissioner Eric Fiori were first elected in 2022. Madison “Jim” Bunting (Dist. 6) has served as Commissioner since 2010. Bunting announced that he would not run for reelection in October.
Majority of School Board Seats to be Elected but Only One Candidate, So Far
Four of the seven School Board seats are up for election in November. Unlike most elected positions, School Board candidates run as non-partisan, which means no party affiliation appears on the ballot, but it does not mean that the candidates are not affiliated with a national political party.
The seats up for election in November include:
District 1: (Pocomoke City, Stockton, Girdletree, Public Landing and Snow Hill (partial))
None filed
District 4: (Snow Hill (partial), Newark, Berlin (partial))
None filed
District 6: (Bishopville)
Kathy Cater – web site
District 7: (Ocean City)
None filed
Other Elected Offices and Candidates
State’s Attorney:
Kris Heiser (R) – incumbent
Circuit Court Clerk:
Susan Richardson Braniecki (R) – incumbent
Register of Wills:
Terri Delaney Westcott (R) – incumbent
Judge of the Orphan’s Court – all three seats are to be elected
Cheryl K Jacobs (R) – incumbent
John Simms (R)
Martin A. Radinsky (D)
Sheriff:
Matt Crisafulli (R) – incumbent
The lists will be updated periodically here on the Lower Shore Observer Blog through the close of business on February 24th. Further details of the elected offices and candidates backgrounds will appear in future articles.
The general election is to be held on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
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Additional Information
County Magisterial District Map – 2022 Update
Worcester County – current list of candidates for 2026 elections
The Lower Shore Observer 