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Even as the number of registered Democrats in Frederick County (51,937) catches up with the number of registered Republican voters (57,256), the number of Democratic candidates doesn't match up.

"I think, countywide, Democrats have a tough row to hoe," former Frederick mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty (D) said. "There are some good candidates out there and they're trying. In the City of Frederick, I was the only Democratic elected mayor in the last 20 years."

Dougherty served as mayor from 2002 to 2006 and has run for several elected offices since.

Overall, there are 19 Democratic candidates and 32 Republican candidates running for office in Frederick County.

In the races for register of wills, sheriff and state's attorney, no Democrats are running. The House of Delegates race in District 3B — which includes Adamstown, Brunswick, Kemptown, Rosemont and Urbana — has one Democrat and two Republicans running.

Frederick County commissioner candidates include seven Democrats and 12 Republicans.

"From a Democratic standpoint, we don't put up candidates in all the races," Dougherty said. "I'm disappointed we didn't develop a bench of candidates to run. It's not like it's a surprise. [The election] happens every four years."

Dougherty is frustrated that no Democrats from Frederick County are challenging Republican Sen. David R. Brinkley in District 4. One Democrat, Sara Lou Trescott, is in the race, but she is from Woodbine in Carroll County.

Frederick County was not always known as a staunch Republican county. In 1982, 54.8 percent of voters in the county were Democrats, according to the Frederick County Board of Elections, and roughly 36.5 percent were Republicans.

In 1998, as more residents moved in, Democrats claimed only 39.1 percent of registered voters, while Republicans jumped to 46 percent.

Democrats elected to office in Frederick County also declined during the 16-year period. In 1982, 15 Democrats were elected to office in Frederick County. Only four Republicans were elected that year. But in 1998, three Democrats were elected, compared to 17 Republicans.

The Republican party has dominated the political landscape of Frederick County ever since. But after years of Republican domination, the tide may be changing.

"The gap narrowed two years ago," said Stuart Harvey, election director with the county's Board of Elections. "In the November 2008 general election, most of the people registered were new voters or young voters who had never voted before."

Harvey said the appeal of Democratic President Barack Obama was the catalyst that drew more people to register as Democrats in 2008, and more people to vote that year as well.

In 2006, 25.45 percent of the registered voters in Frederick County cast a ballot in the primary, and 58.05 percent in the general election, according to the Board of Elections. In 2008, that number jumped to 40.27 percent in the primary, and 83.06 percent in the general election.

"This year we've had just a handful of voters registering," Harvey said.

Democrats dominate as registered voters in the City of Frederick, which includes Districts 3 and 3A. "In District 3B, Republicans have a slight edge or a smaller margin over Democrats," he said.

John Ashbury, a Republican and publisher of thetentacle.com, a political commentary website, also attributes much of the surge in registered Democrats to Obama. Though he thinks there are a lot of Republicans concerned about the economy and unhappy with Obama, he is not sure they will turn out to vote Tuesday, much as Democrats did in 2008. "A lot of those people who voted [in 2008] were young people and it's always a problem getting young people to the polls," he said.

sgreenfield@gazette.net.

-Polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

-Voters can cast ballots for Maryland's 6th Congressional District for U.S. House of Representatives, governor, comptroller, attorney general, state senate in Districts 3 and 4, House of Delegates in Districts 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B, Frederick County state's attorney, clerk of the circuit court, judge of the orphans' court, register of wills, Board of County Commissioners, Board of Education and Democratic and Republican central committees.

-For election stories, updates and results, follow us on Twitter at @news_frederick

and @GazPolitics.