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 Res. 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 Res. 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 Res. 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.
[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.