As we enter the last full week of election frenzy, with the presidential plebiscite scheduled for a week from tomorrow, the persistent issues -- housing, health care, the shrinking inflation factor and robust employment numbers -- are obviously on our minds -- or were, if you were among the nearly 300,000 Maryland voters who hit the early-voting venues last Thursday and Friday (early voting ends this coming Thursday, that is to say Hallowe'en). NBC News reports 44,101,704 mail-in and early in-person votes cast nationally up to this point (Monday morning), which is just a ton. Keep your eyes on the numbers and on how the issues are framed by the candidates as Election Day itself approaches. Clearly, many millions of voters are taking steps to make sure that a bad break or two on Election Day itself doesn't keep their votes off the books. It's all News You Can Use.

HERE IN MARYLAND

Hogan Budget-cutting Boasts Masked Deep Reduction of Services to Citizens, Advocates Argue: As he campaigns for the U.S. Senate, former Gov. Larry Hogan touts leaving behind a $5.5 billion surplus, tax breaks, toll cuts and a balanced budget. But state reports show the savings came at another cost — high vacancy rates in state agencies. The Republican governor’s decision to downsize government kept agencies from delivering services when people needed them most, said policy analysts, union officials and nonprofit leaders watching and working for state government during Hogan’s time in office. Baltimore Banner [may be paywalled]

With Electricity Prices Rising, Groups Blame Slow Rollout Of Renewables By PJM Regional Provider

Electric bills for residents in Chesapeake Bay drainage states could rise as much as 24% now that wholesale electricity prices rose to record levels at an auction that locked up guaranteed power during extreme weather events in the region. The spike in the price to reserve power for air conditioning and heating emergencies in 2025–2026 was more than nine times the previous record. Renewable energy advocates say the shocking hikes at the July auction were avoidable, and they blame PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, for dragging its feet in incorporating solar energy, wind power and battery storage projects into the mix. Bay Journal

Study: D.C. Region Had the Highest Rent Increase Among Major Metro Areas -- Median rent in the region rose by 12 percent during the 12-month period that ended in September

It’s not just your apartment, beleaguered D.C.-area renter: The region’s median rent increase during the past year is the steepest among the nation’s 50 biggest metropolitan areas, according to a report published this month. The study by the Redfin real estate company found that median rents in the capital region rose by 12 percent between September 2023 and last month, the highest among the regions analyzed. Virginia Beach saw the second-biggest rise, followed by Cleveland, Baltimore and Chicago. WaPo

Funds Pour into Local School Board Races: A flood of cash has poured into Maryland school board races, an unusual influx sparked by culture war debates that have inflamed nonpartisan contests traditionally focused on local budgets, curriculums and teachers’ salaries. The Maryland Democratic Party and the conservative 1776 Project PAC have each injected tens of thousands of dollars into more than a dozen school board races in counties that have seen protests over books with LGBTQ-themes, tensions about a state school funding law meant to increase equity, and, in one district, a ban against Pride flags being displayed inside classrooms. WaPo

In-Person Early Voting Gets Off to Quick Start, Then Slows Compared to Mail-in Option: In-person early voting got off to a quick start in Maryland, with 154,000 voters casting ballots on Day One — a number that could be historically high, according to the state’s elections administrator. The total for Thursday, which kicked off an early voting period ending Oct. 31, eclipsed the entire early voting total for the May 14 primary, Jared DeMarinis, the administrator, posted on social media.  Baltimore Sun (Mon.) More than 440,000 people cast ballots through the first four days of early voting in Maryland, down 17% from the same period four years ago. But while early voting was down by 90,000, state election officials reported they have received an unusually high number of requests for mail-in ballots in advance of the Nov. 5 Election Day this year. Maryland Matters (Tues.) via MD Reporter

>>Maryland’s most populous counties – Montgomery, Prince George’s, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties — saw the biggest turnout in terms of raw numbers. But smaller, more rural counties such as Talbot, Queen Anne’s and Calvert Counties all reported voter turnout above 6.3% for the first day. Statewide, the numbers were down slightly on Friday, but still strong. Another 135,905 voters cast ballots, representing another 3.23% of the total of registered voters in the state, according to State Board of Elections data. Maryland Matters.

>>More voters in Montgomery County cast a ballot on the first day of early voting on Thursday than in the entire early voting period for the primary election in May, according to unofficial state elections board data. MoCo 360.

 Updated Tuesday, Oct. 29. See our Weekly Memo with analysis of the ballot measures on Maryland ballots.

7,000 DACA Recipients Can Get State Health Insurance: An estimated 7,000 DACA recipients will be eligible for Maryland’s health insurance marketplace when open enrollment begins Friday, some of the more than 100,000 newly eligible immigrants nationwide. The change is the result of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decision in May to expand eligibility for Affordable Care Act coverage to include those covered by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — an Obama-era program that protects undocumented immigrants from deportation if they were brought here as children. Maryland Matters via MD Reporter

Port of Baltimore to Get Nearly $150M from Feds to Cut Greenhouse Gases: The Maryland Port Association will receive more than $145 million for the Port of Baltimore to purchase zero-emission cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks, as well as other expenses to reduce pollution produced by the port, according to the administration. An additional $2 million will go toward planning to further reduce emissions, according to a statement from the White House. The Biden administration says the funding announced Tuesday will help support up to 2,000 union jobs at the port. Maryland Matters.

THE OTHER 49

‘Take Back the States’: The Far-Right Sheriffs Ready to Disrupt the Election

Introducing the far-right Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, or CSPOA, a group described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-government organization with links to many other extremist groups. Constitutional sheriffs are actual elected sheriffs who also believe they are the ultimate legal power in their county, and that no federal or state authority can usurp their authority. They also believe that a sheriff’s power stems directly from the constitution, and that they can disregard any laws they deem unconstitutional—a belief that is not grounded in reality. WIRED

When Hurricane Evacuation Isn’t an Option

Not everyone rides out storms like Milton or Helene by choice. Some simply cannot afford to flee. "Those who remain to face a hurricane are often labeled brave or stubborn. Sometimes they feel the threat is overblown, the need to leave overstated. But some have no other choice. Evacuating can be costly and laborious, often prohibitively so. For cash-strapped families, those with limited mobility, and the elderly — not to mention those who have no choice but to work through the storm — leaving can feel like an unattainable luxury. And yet this decision can mean the difference between life and death." Grist via Portside

PUBLIC LAND: Twelve states and a few state legislatures are supporting Utah’s lawsuit to take over federally controlled land, signing amicus briefs with the nation’s high court, the Utah News Dispatch reports. Filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in August, Utah’s lawsuit argues that the Bureau of Land Management can’t indefinitely hold on to land without giving it a designation, such as a national monument or wilderness area. Pluribus

Raising Minimum Wage Does Not Hurt Fast-Food Workers

Fast-food corporations opposed a California minimum wage increase under the guise of concern for workers, claiming it would result in lost jobs. The bill passed, and the numbers are in: that concern was just scaremongering.  Jacobin

NC:  In western North Carolina, Helene's devastation is threatening health care access. Dozens of volunteer doctors, nurses and psychologists traveled to the region to treat people whose routines, including medical appointments, were disrupted by the storm. | The New York Times  via Pluribus

NATIONAL AND THE FEDS

Next President, Congress Could Radically Affect Health Care for Millions

“The next president could influence how many people have health insurance, how much many pay for it, the prices of prescription drugs and more through regulatory power alone. In the event that either candidate is elected with legislative majorities, the differences could be even larger.” Here’s a detailed roundup of the stakes.  NY Times

OUR VIEW: It is universally (and shamefacedly) acknowledged by journalists and those who study the craft that newspaper endorsements of candidates and ballot issues are remarkably ineffective at moving voters.

So the decisions by Washington Post and Los Angeles Times publisher/owners not to publish endorsements – already prepared – of Vice President Kamala Harris was notable more for its last-minute timing and bigfoot billionaire impositions on supposedly “independent” major media than for gain or loss by the respective candidates. Media workers at the two publications erupted, and several resigned.

The UK’s The Guardian (which had already endorsed Harris from the mother country) quoted the former dynamic duo of Watergate fame:

‘Criticism extended to the Washington Post icons Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. “We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 12 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post’s own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy,” the reporters wrote in a statement.

“Under Jeff Bezos’s ownership, the Washington Post’s news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy and that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral process.”

Early voting in Maryland is under way till this Thursday, Oct. 31. Don’t stay home.