[Adopted 7-20-2020 by Ord. No. O-21-02]
A. 
City elections will be by mail-in ballot voting, early voting and with one voting center at City Hall open on election day for in-person voting. The Board of Supervisors of Elections shall keep the voting center open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on election day.
B. 
Mail-in ballots for the general election must be mailed or distributed no more than 30 days and no less than 25 days prior to the election to which they apply. Postage for transmitting the ballot material to the voter and postage for the return of ballots shall be paid by the Board.
C. 
The board will mail one notice to all households in the City and at least three notices and reminders to all registered voters in the City informing them of the mail-in ballot voting deadlines and the date, time and location of in-person voting on election day. The first notice will be mailed or distributed no later than 45 days prior to the election. The notices will be in addition to the mailing of the ballot itself. The Board will also provide at least one other form of mass communication informing the public of the City election which must include all of the information required on the notices.
D. 
Early voting will begin on the first Tuesday prior to the election and end on the first Monday prior to the election on the following schedule: first Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), first Saturday (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), Sunday (11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) and the first Monday (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) in the municipal building throughout this period.
E. 
All ballots and/or voting machines shall show the name of each candidate nominated for elective office in accordance with the provisions of the Charter, arranged in alphabetical order by office with no party or principal designation of any kind.
F. 
A mail-in ballot shall be counted only if it is received by the Board of Supervisors of Election prior to the closing of the election polls.
G. 
A registered voter may obtain a replacement ballot if the original ballot was destroyed, spoiled, lost, or for any other reason not received by the registered voter. A registered voter who obtains a ballot in accordance with this subsection will be required to sign an affidavit, in a form approved by the Board, specifying the reason for requesting the replacement ballot.
H. 
If the City receives more than one ballot from a registered voter, the first ballot received by the City will be the only ballot counted.
I. 
Any mail-in ballot that contains a vote for a person who has ceased to be a candidate shall not be counted for that candidate but such vote shall not invalidate the remainder of the ballot.
J. 
In determining the vote cast for each candidate or question the Board of Supervisors of Elections shall verify the accuracy of the counts by such procedures as it deems appropriate. Notwithstanding the above, however, in the event that the Board of Supervisors of Elections initially announces that a candidate for mayor or a candidate for councilmember has lost an election by a margin of 1/2% or less, the Board of Supervisors of Elections must conduct a manual recount, if requested by any candidate so affected within 48 hours of the initial announcement of the election results.
K. 
The Board of Supervisors of Elections shall announce the unofficial results of the election as soon as possible after tabulating the results. The tentative results shall be posted at City Hall and shall be announced on the City website.
L. 
All challenges to the results of an election shall be submitted to the Board of Supervisors of Elections within 48 hours of the initial announcement of the results.
M. 
Within seven calendar days after the election, the Board shall resolve all challenges and shall certify the results of the election to the City Clerk, who shall record the results in the minutes of the Council. The results shall be posted at City Hall and shall be posted on the City website.
N. 
Any person aggrieved by reason of such determination of the Board may appeal to the Circuit Court for the county, according to the Maryland rules governing administrative appeals.
O. 
Determining the winning candidates.
(1) 
Requirements for a general election. The candidate for Mayor with the highest number of votes in the general election will be declared elected as Mayor. The seven candidates for Council with highest number of votes in the general election will be declared elected as members of the Council. In case of a tie in the highest number of votes for Mayor, or in case of a tie in the votes for Council members wherein no candidate received the highest number of votes, then, in either of such events, there must be a special election between the candidates receiving the tie vote, to be held after 30 days' notice, pursuant to applicable provisions of the City Charter and this chapter.
(2) 
Requirements for a special election. In a special election for Mayor, the candidate for Mayor with the highest number of votes in a special election will be declared elected to fill the remainder of the term. In a special election for Council, the candidate for Council with the highest number of votes in a special election will be declared elected to fill the remainder of the term. In case of multiple Council vacancies, the number of candidates matching the number of vacancies with the highest number of votes will be declared elected to fill the remainder of the term. In case of a tie in the highest number of votes for Mayor, or in case of a tie in the votes for Council members, then, in either of such events, there must be a special election between the candidates receiving the tie vote, to be held after 30 days' notice, pursuant to applicable provisions of the City Charter, state law, and this chapter.