With three business days left for candidates to file for elected offices in Worcester County, there is at least one person filed to run in each race. Included are all seven Commissioner seats, and four of the seven Board of Education Commissioner seats, plus the constitutional positions listed below.
Primaries, if needed, will be held in June*. The statewide General Election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Anyone interested in running in the November, 2026 election cycle must file with the Worcester County Board of Elections no later than close of business on Tuesday, February 24.
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)
Laura Gladding Morrison (R)
Caryn Abbott (R) – incumbent
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)
Joseph 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 – All Districts represented by at least one candidate
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.
As of this post, each district has at least one Candidate who has filed to run for the seat. District 6 (Bishopville) has two candidates who have filed. If more than two candidates file for any district race, a primary will be held in June and the two candidates that receive the greatest number of votes will go to the general election ballot in November.
The seats up for election include:
District 1: (Pocomoke City, Stockton, Girdletree, Public Landing and Snow Hill (partial))
Caroline H. Bloxom
District 4: (Snow Hill (partial), Newark, Berlin (partial))
Frederick D. Grant, Sr.
District 6: (Bishopville)
Kathy Cater – web site
Jackie Cutlip
District 7: (Ocean City)
Todd Ferrate – incumbent
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)
Mary Burgess (R)
Sheriff:
Matt Crisafulli (R) – incumbent
Link to Worcester County Registered Candidates list – 2026 midterm elections
The Lower Shore Observer 