All persons who have been properly registered as hereinafter
provided shall be qualified voters of the City of College Park.
[Amended 4-11-2023 by Ord. No. 23-CR-01]
A.
Any person residing within the corporate limits of the City of College
Park who is registered to vote with the Prince George's County Board
of Elections and will be at least 18 years of age on election day
shall automatically become a registered voter of the City of College
Park and be entitled to vote at general or special elections of the
City of College Park.
B.
Challenges to the registration of any individual not believed to
be qualified to vote in the City elections shall be filed with the
Prince George's County Board of Elections in accordance with said
Board of Elections' procedures.
C.
Voter registration for City elections shall close 15 days prior to
the election.
[Amended 3-12-2019 by Res. No. 19-CR-02; 3-24-2020 by Res. No. 20-CR-01; 4-11-2023 by Ord. No. 23-CR-01]
A.
The Mayor
and Council shall, not later than June 30 of a non-General Election
year, appoint or reappoint six qualified voters of the City, not holding
any office thereunder, as Supervisors of Elections. Each of the Supervisors
of Elections will be appointed to a two year term. Members serve until
the expiration of the two year term or until their successors are
appointed, whichever is later. In the event that a current Supervisor
of Elections does not seek to be reappointed, a new member will be
appointed. Applications for appointment to the Supervisors of Elections,
or reapplications by Supervisors whose terms are expiring, will be
accepted for a term beginning on July 1 of a non-General Election
year. If a Supervisor position becomes vacant during a term, a successor
will be appointed to the remainder of that term.
B.
Supervisors
of Elections shall act as Judges of Elections at any elections held
during the term and shall perform such other duties as may be delegated
to them under the College Park Code. One Supervisor shall be appointed
from each of the four election districts, and two Supervisors shall
be appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the Council. Supervisors
of Elections will be compensated as authorized in the adopted City
budget. The Supervisors of Elections are hereby authorized to administer
oaths to the Judges of Elections and voting machine operators in the
performance of their duties. The Mayor and Council shall designate
one of the six Supervisors of Elections as the Chief of Elections.
C.
The Supervisors of Elections shall provide ballots containing the names of those persons eligible to be candidates for office, designating the office they seek. Except as otherwise required by state law, the Supervisors of Elections shall conduct elections as provided by this Charter and Chapter 34 of the Code.
[Amended 4-24-2018 by Res. No. 18-CR-02; 4-11-2023 by Ord. No. 23-CR-01]
Biennially, after providing public notice, the Supervisors of
Elections shall appoint such election officials as they deem necessary,
who shall be compensated by the Mayor and Council, and conduct an
election by ballot for the election of the Mayor and Council members.
A.
Any qualified person desiring to run for the office of Mayor of the
City shall file, or cause to be filed, with the City Clerk a petition
for candidacy containing the petition, including name, address, district
and signature of at least 80 persons consisting of not less than 20
qualified voters from each of the four councilmanic districts. The
candidate's name and signature may appear and be counted toward the
required number on any such petition.
B.
Any qualified person desiring to run for Councilperson from a district
shall file, or cause to be filed, a petition for candidacy with the
City Clerk containing the petition, including name, address, district
and signature, of at least 25 qualified voters in the candidate's
district. The candidate's name and signature may appear and be counted
toward the required number on any such petition.
C.
To qualify as a candidate for any elective office of the City, an
individual must also file a written authorization of candidacy with
the City Clerk on behalf of the Supervisors of Elections that is signed
and dated by the candidate and identifies the office sought, and any
financial disclosure statements required under the City's Code of
Ethics. In the event that petitions and authorizations are filed by
or in behalf of any person for both the office of Mayor and Council
member, the candidacy for both offices shall be disqualified unless
the candidate delivers a signed, written notice to the City Clerk,
stating the office for which the individual will be a candidate, on
or before 53 calendar days prior to the election.
[Amended 3-23-2021 by Res. No. 21-CR-01]
D.
City employees who seek to qualify as a candidate are required to
take an unpaid leave of absence upon the filing of the petition of
candidacy for City elective office. The unpaid leave of absence shall
be terminated upon withdrawal of the candidate's petition or loss
in the election for City office, whichever event shall first occur.
Any City employee who gains City elective office shall be terminated
as a City employee upon the assumption of office.
E.
No candidacy petitions or authorizations shall be considered valid
unless received by the City Clerk before 4:00 p.m. 53 calendar days
prior to the election. In the event that no qualified candidate files
for the office of Mayor or one or more Council seats on or before
the 53rd day prior to the election as required herein, then the deadline
for receipt of candidate petitions and authorizations by the City
Clerk is extended to 4:00 p.m. on the 46th day prior to the election.
No candidacy petitions or authorizations for an individual shall be
considered valid unless that individual possesses all the required
qualifications for the office sought by said date.
[Amended 3-23-2021 by Res. No. 21-CR-01]
F.
The Supervisors of Elections shall cause to be published, in appropriate
manner to give general publicity, the names of the candidates and
the positions to which they aspire. Any candidate wishing to withdraw
an authorization of candidacy must do so no later than 49 calendar
days prior to the day of election.
[Amended 3-23-2021 by Res. No. 21-CR-01; 4-11-2023 by Ord. No. 23-CR-01]
[Amended 3-23-2021 by Res. No. 21-CR-01]
In the event of a tie vote in the election of Mayor and/or Council
member, a runoff election of the tied candidates shall be conducted
on a date to be determined by the Mayor and Council, by motion, that
is no more than 45 days from the date of certification of the election.
The runoff election shall be scheduled on a date that is not a City,
state, county or federal election day or holiday.
All persons shall have equal privileges in registering, voting
and holding public office. Whenever the masculine gender has been
used herein or in the City Code as to registering, voting or holding
public office in the City, such right or privilege shall be construed
to include all persons.
The Council shall have the power to provide by ordinance in
every respect not covered by the provisions of this Charter for the
conduct of registration, nomination and City elections.
When the Mayor and Council shall find from its determinations
that it is necessary to issue general obligation bonds with an aggregate
amount greater than 1% of the assessed valuation of all real property
subject to municipal taxation in the City, according to the assessments
certified by the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation
on the prior July 1, except as otherwise authorized in this Charter,
then such issue shall be placed to referendum as then prescribed,
and the results of said referendum shall be binding on said Mayor
and Council, as provided by law. The Mayor and Council may set the
time and place of said referendum in the usual manner, except that
in no case shall a referendum be delayed beyond the next general election
in the City. In addition, the Mayor and Council may elect, in its
discretion, to place other items, except Charter amendment resolutions,
to automatic and binding referendum by a majority vote of said Council.
Nothing in this section shall prohibit or limit the normal petition
procedure provided the citizens of the City.
