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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.