As we look ahead to November’s elections, Westminster Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you want about race nationally and locally. Here's our start on the candidates and issues we'll be covering as November draws near. Bookmark this page for updates.

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President Barack Obama: Maryland is a reliably Democratic state for presidential candidates, but is important nationally, as its residents are known for opening their pocketbooks to write political contribution checks to presidential candidates, according to the Baltimore Sun. Obama held a fundraiser in Owings Mills on June 12 as well as campaigned in Baltimore with Gov. Martin O'Malley. He visited Towson University for a basketball game in November 2011.

GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor visited Maryland in March. Remember the Etch A Sketch comment? That came on the day Romney visited Arbutus. In explaining how the candidate would avoid being pushed too far to the right, spokesperson Eric Fehrnstrom, in a CNN interview, likened Romney's positions to an Etch A Sketch. "You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again,” he said. Political opponents capitalized on the misstep. Nonetheless, Romney won the Maryland primary in April.

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U.S. Senate

Sen. Ben Cardin: The incumbent Democrat is seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate. He has shared many of his views in his blog on Patch.

Daniel Bongino: Cardin's Republican opponent is Daniel Bongino of Severna Park. He is a former Secret Service agent.

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Congressional District 1

Rep. Andy Harris: The incumbent Republican, a medical doctor by trade, served as a Maryland State Senator before becoming a congressman. He serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Science, Space, And Technology committees.

Wendy Rosen: A Democrat, Rosen has experience as a business owner and says she will fight for Maryland's Main Street businesses.

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Congressional District 8

Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D), a longtime Kensington resident and ranking member on the House Budget Committee, touts health care, education, the environment, and open government among his top issues. He visited Westminster earlier this year.

Kenneth Timmerman, a Republican, is a long-time resident of Kensington with his wife Christina and has five children in Maryland public schools and universities. Timmerman writes about on defense and intelligence issues and has testified as an expert witness in terrorism trials in U.S. federal courts and before Congress. He was head of the Maryland Taxpayers Association and worked on the Divest Terror movement to prevent Maryland pension funds from being invested in companies doing business with terrorists.

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Same-sex Marriage: On March 1, Gov. Martin O’Malley signed into law a bill allowing same-sex couples to wed in Maryland. Despite celebrations from supporters, in May, opponents of same-sex marriage turned in about twice the number of signatures they needed to send the law to referendum in November. Until then, supporters of same-sex marriage, such as Equality Maryland are mobilizing support, canvassing and holding public events. Groups that oppose same-sex marriage, including the Maryland Catholic Conference, are still soliciting support and fundraising.

Dream Act: The Dream Act would allow undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state tuition at institutions in the University System of Maryland if their parents filed to pay state taxes, if they attended a Maryland high school for at least three years and if they graduated. Passed by the General Assembly in 2011, opponents launched a petition effort that blocked the legislation from taking effect and landed it on the 2012 ballot as a voter referendum.

Need to find out where your polling place is? Whether or not you're registered to vote? Need to request an absentee ballot? Visit the Maryland State Board of Elections online for answers to those and a host of other election-related questions.