Editing Harford County, Maryland (section)

==Politics and government==
{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of March 2024<ref name="MDBOE">{{cite web |title=Maryland Board of Elections Voter Registration Activity Report March 2024 |url=https://elections.maryland.gov/pdf/vrar/2024_03.pdf |website=Maryland Board of Elections |access-date=April 9, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 80499}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |80499 |193,107 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 64422}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |64422 |193,107 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Unaffiliated
| align = center | {{formatnum: 44691}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |44691 |193,107 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 1254}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |1254 |193,107 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|None}}
| [[Third party (U.S. politics)|Other parties]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 2241}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |2241 |193,107 |2}}
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | {{formatnum: 193,107}}
! align = center | {{Percentage |100}}
|}

{{PresHead|place=Harford County, Maryland|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|83,050|62,453|4,587|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|80,930|63,095|4,161|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|77,860|47,077|8,735|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|72,911|49,729|3,314|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|71,751|48,552|2,992|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|71,565|39,685|1,478|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|52,862|35,665|2,897|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|39,686|29,779|8,726|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|36,350|27,164|17,173|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|38,493|19,803|270|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|37,382|17,133|127|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|26,713|20,042|4,186|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|24,309|19,890|0|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|25,141|8,737|488|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|15,799|9,914|4,978|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|9,968|13,550|0|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|12,090|9,293|0|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|12,657|6,588|0|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|10,770|6,809|80|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|6,168|5,494|88|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|6,751|4,839|0|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|6,501|5,500|59|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|5,327|6,165|39|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|3,954|6,073|107|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|6,479|3,506|55|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|3,545|3,841|372|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|4,175|4,134|65|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|2,302|3,345|85|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|1,737|3,064|912|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|2,742|3,148|82|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|2,561|3,151|121|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|3,145|3,509|271|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|3,374|3,360|371|Maryland}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|2,449|3,309|264|Maryland}}
|}

Harford County is, like the [[Pennsylvania Dutch Country]] to its north, a strongly Republican region. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried Harford County since [[Lyndon Johnson]]’s landslide of 1964, although recent trends have shown the county voting less Republican over the past few elections. In the period before World War II Harford leaned strongly Democratic as it had sizeable Confederate sympathies,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Levine |first=Mark V. |date=May 1976 |title=Standing Political Decisions and Critical Realignment: The Pattern of Maryland Politics, 1872-1948 |journal=[[The Journal of Politics]] |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=292–325 |doi=10.2307/2129537 |jstor=2129537}}</ref> but during and since [[World War II]] the county has turned away from its traditional allegiances.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Harford County was granted a [[charter]] form of [[government]] in 1972. This means that the county is run by a County Executive and Council President, both elected at large, as well as Council Members, elected from districts. Currently, there are six districts in Harford County. Also elected at large is the Sheriff, who runs the [[Harford County Sheriff's Office]], the State's Attorney, who prosecutes all crimes in the county, the Register of Wills, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court.

===Executive===
{{further|List of county executives of Maryland#Harford}}
The Harford [[List of county executives of Maryland|County Executive]] is [[Robert Cassilly (politician)|Robert Cassilly]] (Republican). Primary law enforcement in the county is handled by the [[Harford County Sheriff's Office]], which has precincts in [[Jarrettsville, Maryland|Jarrettsville]], [[Edgewood, Maryland|Edgewood]] and [[Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland|Bel Air]]. The current Sheriff is Jeffrey Gahler (R). The [[Maryland State Police]] also have a barrack located in Bel Air which serves the citizens of Harford County. Municipal police needs are provided by the [[Bel Air Police Department]], the [[Aberdeen Police Department]] and the [[Havre De Grace Police Department]]. The current State's Attorney is Alison Healey, the first woman to hold the post. Directors are nominated by the Executive and approved by the council. The Volunteer Fire & EMS Association department{{refn|11 fire departments, one EMS department. All are volunteer companies.}} is led by Russell Eyre.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.hcvfa.org/184/Association-Leadership | title=Association Leadership &#124; Harford Co. Volunteer Fire & EMS, MD | access-date=December 11, 2018 | archive-date=August 17, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817045707/http://www.hcvfa.org/184/Association-Leadership | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Council===
[[File:Council Districts.gif|thumb|left|Map of council districts]]

[[Patrick Vincenti]] is the council president. Dion F. Guthrie represents district A which includes Joppa and Edgewood. Aaron David Penman represents district B which includes Abingdon and Fallston. Tony "G" Giangiordano represents district C which includes Bel Air and Forest Hill. James Reilly represents district D which includes Jarrettsville, Street, and Darlington. Jessica Boyle-Tsottles represents district E which includes Churchville and Aberdeen. Jacob D. Bennett represents district F which includes Belcamp and Havre de Grace.