 The last Democrat to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.Prior to December 3, 2012, Cecil County was governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland.On that date, Cecil County began governance under a new charter approved via voter referendum in November 2010, which authorized an elected County Executive and a five-member County Council, which separates the legislative and executive functions of local government (unlike the old "board of commissioner" system).