First, you need to be registered to vote for the Nov. 8 election -- and the deadline for registration is Tuesday, Oct. 18. Make sure you and your friends and family are ready to exercise a democratic right. Then, there are a few more things...

Activists in Howard and Prince George's discuss ballot measures on their Nov. 8 ballots and the Black Caucus begins work on the 2017 Session.

In the Weekend Reader: Boldly go to the polls; more questions on Question D; the dog that didn't bark in MoCo; corporate power outweighs national wealth; the grim logic of climate change; and more.

A report on Prince George's County's long-term budget problems should bring innovative change, not the same old threats of service cuts unless taxes are raised.

Question A on Howard County's  November 8 enables public financing for local elections and could help get big money out of the county's local politics and restore real democracy

Progressive Maryland members and allies are getting on the phone Tuesday and Wednesday to affirm that a $15 per hour minimum wage -- including tipped workers -- ensures an economic future for the county built on ending inequality.

This week Progressive Maryland activists and allies will be letting two Montgomery Council members know where they should be on the fight for a $15 minimum wage. In Howard County, the first of two houseparties promoting the public election finance question on the Nov. 8 ballot. And Prince Georgians next week continue to discuss Question D on their ballot, which would conveniently sidestep term limits for some Council members, at two upcoming forums.

A recent post from the lively political blog Maryland Scramble is a good followup to our Sept. 7 account of the struggle gainst voter suppression around the country.

The Prince George's County Council overturns its own Planning Board, which was stampeded into approving expansion of the Capital Plaza Walmart, bringing citizen outrage and activism.

A model for state-level action on real universal health care is on the ballot in Colorado, but under siege from big corporate money and the usual vested interests, as activist Sydney Jacobs recounts.