Here are some tips on what you should expect from election season in Anne Arundel County

With passage Friday of the deadline to file for the Maryland primary election in April, we’ve entered the true political season.

By the time the primary rolls around on April 28 — early voting lasts from April 16 to April 23 — the Democratic contest for the major party presidential nominations seems almost surely to be settled. It begins in earnest with the Iowa Caucuses on Feb. 3 and hits a critical juncture with Super Tuesday on March 3 — this year, including California.

Also on the ballot are races for Congress in the four districts representing gerrymandered Anne Arundel County.

Given the difficulty in unseating an incumbent member of Congress, it’s worth watching for a primary challenger who can break out and grab the attention of voters. One theme in the Republican primary is sure to be who can be the loudest in attacking all four incumbent Democrats on their vote to impeach President Donald Trump. In one of the districts, eight Republicans are vying for the job.

Voters also will choose the candidates they want to see on the November ballot in two local races.

In the case of Circuit Court judge, there are six candidates for four seats on the bench. Pamela Alban, Elizabeth Morris, Rob Thompson and Richard Trunnell were appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan. Morris is the first African-American woman to serve on the county bench and the first person of color to serve since 2002.

Maryland law requires judges to stand for election to 15-year terms in the election immediately following their appointment. But it also gives voters the chance to reject the governor’s choice.

This time around, voters can do that by choosing former Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams, currently the Charles County attorney, and Annette DeCesaris, a private practice lawyer from Lothian.

If the four judges finish with the most votes in both Republican and Democratic primaries, they do not have to stand for election again in November.

As always, a judicial race is more about the governor’s appointment power than the candidates. How do you evaluate the record of a judge on the bench for such a short period of time? The difficulty explains the rarity of challengers winning.

The primary election also marks the next step in shifting from an appointed to elected Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Primary voters in councilmanic districts 2, 3 and 6 will have to choose the candidates who will appear on the nonpartisan ballot in November. The most crowded race is in the sixth district, where five candidates hope to advance.

You can expect school start times to be part of each of these campaigns, as you can spending priorities, the transportation system, achievement and discipline gaps, teacher compensation and perhaps even the death of Bowen Levy, a special education student whose death after a choking incident remains under investigation.

As we do every election cycle, we invite all candidates in these races to submit “Why I’m running” essays to make their case to our readers. These essays are intended to help voters make a decision, so it will be up to the candidates to decide the topic.

We would like to thank the candidates for taking the time to offer their services to the republic — and also wish best of luck to the voters who must sort out the choices.