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The Sprawl Vote

Concerns over the rate of growth and development could be a key factor in next year's elections in Maryland. A Baltimore Sun  study found ...

Concerns over the rate of growth and development could be a key factor in next year's elections in Maryland. A Baltimore Sun  study found that a majority of Marylanders think their towns and cities are growing too fast.

Sprawl control could even be the dominant issue in local elections in high-growth Anne Arundel and Howard counties, where 60 percent of likely voters say growth is out of control.

Whether this will be an issue in the statewide gubernatorial race isn't clear. And it's one thing to respond to a study with, "Yes, my community is growing too fast."  It's quite another to actually vote for someone who will restrict limits on business and residential development. Still, it's an interesting analysis of what could be a signal campaign issue in Maryland next year.

Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
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